


Wish Upon A Star

by cloudyunicorn698



Series: Rizzles Vacations' Series [1]
Category: Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Disney World, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Vacation, just for fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26828440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyunicorn698/pseuds/cloudyunicorn698
Summary: Jane finds out that Maura has never been to an amusement park, so she decides to take it upon herself to remedy this. Jane plans a kid’s dream vacation to the biggest and best amusement park she knows of: Walt Disney World. Will their family friendly vacation turn into a romantic getaway? Mostly fun and fluff with maybe half a day of angst. Eventual Rizzles.
Relationships: Maura Isles & Jane Rizzoli, Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli
Series: Rizzles Vacations' Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131791
Comments: 132
Kudos: 153





	1. Planning

**Author's Note:**

> There will be 11 chapters plus an epilogue. Also, I’m still going to finish “Maybe We Should Have Talked Sooner,” but I wanted to start a happy, fun fic. I’m planning on working on them simultaneously. I don’t own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters. I also have no affiliation with Disney. I’m not profiting financially from this or any of my stories.

Jane walked into Maura’s office and threw herself down on the couch.

“Hey, Maur,” she greeted.

“Hello, Jane,” Maura said, smiling at the detective. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I’m jealous,” Jane answered with a smirk.

Maura laughed, “Oh, yeah, and why are you jealous?”

“Smoot and Perry took the day off and went to Six Flags with their families,” Jane answered.

“Six Flags? What is that?” Maura asked, confused.

Jane’s draw dropped, “Seriously, Maur. It’s an amusement park. It’s on the border of Massachusetts and Connecticut, south of Springfield.”

“Oh. I’ve never been to an amusement park. I don’t think I’d like something like that.”

“Oh. My. God. Maura. That is just tragic,” Jane said in disbelief. “Okay, we need to remedy this. Six Flags isn’t good enough. We have to do this right.”

Maura laughed at Jane’s reaction, “I don’t think I was deprived as a child because I never went to an amusement park.”

“No, nope. We’re fixing this.”

“Okay, fine. I still think you’re being ridiculous, but I’m up for a new experience,” Maura said.

Jane sat there thinking. She really wanted to give Maura a good experience. Maybe she was being a little ridiculous, but she always hated hearing about things Maura missed out on as a kid.

After a few minutes, Jane looked up to see that Maura was still watching her. “Okay, how up for an adventure are you?” Jane asked slowly.

Maura narrowed her eyes at Jane, “I’m not sure. What are you thinking?”

“Okay, I know this is extreme and a bit silly, but would you be open to something a bit bigger? More of a vacation?”

“You’re being annoyingly vague,” Maura said.

This made Jane laugh, “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be. It’s just that my idea is a big jump from a day at Six Flags. Would you be open to a trip to Disney World?” Not wanting Maura to immediately turn her down, she continued, “Listen. Here me out. Like I said, I know it’s a bigger thing than a day at the park, but I think you would really love it and I would really like to experience this with you. We both have way too much vacation time and Cavanagh is always pushing me to take mine. I’m sure the governor would be okay with you taking some time off as well. We could go for like a week. Do it right. It would be fun.”

Maura laughed, “Jane, Jane, slow down. Maybe it is silly, but I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”

“Seriously?” Jane said again.

“Did you think I would say no?” Maura asked, still laughing.

Jane shrugged, “Kinda, yeah. Are you really on board?” Jane could feel her excitement growing and she hoped Maura wasn’t teasing her.

“Yes. Let’s do it. But I agree that we are going to do this right, so no cheap hotels and at least two nice dinners.”

“Yes!” Jane jumped up pumping her arm. “Okay, I should get back to work, but I’m coming over tonight and we are starting planning!” She could deal with a couple of nice dinners if it made Maura happy.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later, Jane,” Maura said. After Jane left, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face for the rest of the day. She couldn’t wait to experience this with Jane. If she was being honest, she really just couldn’t wait to go on any vacation with Jane, but Jane’s enthusiasm was contagious.

Later that evening, Jane came bounding into Maura’s house, take-out in hand. “Are you ready, Maur! This is going to be so much fun!”

Maura laughed, smiling at Jane as she walked into the kitchen. “Since when are you so excited about planning anything?” Maura asked.

“Planning is part of the fun when it comes to a trip to Disney. Trust me. You are going to love this. Your obsessive-compulsive organization will really pay off. You have to be super organized to get the best reservations and all that.”

“Hmm. I do love planning,” Maura said as they filled their plates and moved to the couch. Jane grabbed her tablet and went to the Disney website once they sat down.

“Jane, I think you can wait until after we eat,” Maura said.

“Oh, no. You already made me wait all day,” Jane said with a smile.

Maura laughed again, “I didn’t make you wait. We had to work!”

“I know,” Jane admitted. “I’m just really excited.”

“I am too.”

“Okay, so I think we should stay in a Disney hotel. They have like thirty on-site hotels and if you stay in one of them you can get into the parks early. I think there are other perks, too, but we can find out.”

“Okay. That makes sense to me.”

“The resorts fall into three categories: deluxe, moderate, and value and each of them has a different theme.”

“We’re staying in a deluxe hotel,” Maura interjected.

“Seriously, Maur. You haven’t even heard about the hotels. Can’t we pick based on the themes or locations or something?”

“I suppose,” Maura conceded.

“Honestly, knowing you, we’ll probably still end up a deluxe resort, but I’d like to at least look at all the categories. We haven’t really talked about how we’re going to pay for this yet, but I’m not sure I want to spend all of my budget on a hotel. I want to do what you want though. Let’s just make sure we don’t pick based on a category.”

“I agree that we shouldn’t choose a hotel solely based on the category, but in terms of budget, I’d like to pay. Like I said, I’d like to do this right and really be able to enjoy all of the things Disney has to offer.”

“Maur, no, you can’t pay for everything.”

“I knew you would say that. I’d really like to pay for everything, but if you really aren’t comfortable with that, I have a proposal.”

“What’s your proposal?” Jane asked.

“I was looking at the Disney website this afternoon and I saw that a large portion of the trip can be purchased ahead of time as part of the vacation package. What if I purchase the package, which includes park tickets, the hotel, and whatever add-ons we agree on. Then you can pay for everything on-site when we are there. That will also give you time to save and/or plan your budget. We can use my miles to get plane tickets. I honestly have more than I could realistically use before they expire.”

Jane considered this proposal. She knew the most expensive part of the trip was the hotel and tickets, and she didn’t really want Maura to pay for that much more than her. On the other hand, she didn’t want to spend the next few months or the trip fighting over money. This seemed like a reasonable solution.

“Okay. I guess I can accept that, but you better not try to pay for things while we are there,” Jane said with a stern look at Maura.

“I promise,” Maura said. She was actually relieved that Jane was onboard with this compromise. While she’d prefer to pay for everything since she had more than enough money, it was more important to her that Jane was comfortable with the arrangement and that they didn’t continuously argue about costs.

Jane smiled, “Okay, then, let’s look at hotels.”

“Why don’t you stream your iPad screen to the AppleTV so that we can both see it?” Maura suggested.

“Good idea,” Jane said.

“So these are the hotels. Want to start with the themes? Then we can narrow it down and look more into our top choices.”

“Sounds fair,” Maura responded.

Jane began listing the hotels and associated themes. Maura was taking notes, which made Jane laugh. When she finished, she turned to look at Maura.

“I took notes,” Maura told her.

“I see that,” Jane smirked.

Maura rolled her eyes, “What I was going to say before you so rudely cut me off was that I wrote down my favorites so I want to start by hearing your top choices.

“Hmm, okay,” Jane said looking back at the list on the TV screen. “Well, my top choice is the sports themed one, but I know that’s out.”

“Nothing's out,” Maura interjected. “But, you are correct that that wouldn’t be one of my top choices.”

Jane laughed. “Okay, so I also like the Animal Kingdom one,” Jane continued. “I think it would be cool to wake up to live animals every day.” Jane turned to watch Maura taking notes before going on, “I also like the various tropical or outdoorsy ones: the Polynesian, Wilderness one, Caribbean. I don’t know. To be honest, they all sound kind of cool, so I’m open to suggestions. How about you?”

“Well, my top choice would be the Grand Floridian. It looks beautiful.”

Jane rolled her eyes again, “Of course. No surprise there.”

Maura continued, “But I also like the BoardWalk, the Yacht Club, and the Polynesian.”

“I’m pretty sure you only named deluxe hotels,” Jane told her.

“Okay, fine, and the New Orleans one.”

Jane laughed, “Thank you for appeasing me, but if I was paying attention, I think there was only one hotel that was on both of our lists.”

Maura smiled, “The Polynesian. Are you sure you’re okay with that? I don’t want you to just do it for me. I want both of us to enjoy this trip.”

“Yeah, I think so. Why don’t we look at it a bit more?” They continued to explore the website, and the more they researched the Polynesian, the more excited they both got. It was the perfect mix of upscale for Maura and adventure for Jane. Jane was surprised they were able to agree on a hotel so quickly. She honestly expected a battle.

“Can we look at dates?” Maura asked once they were fully in agreement about the hotel.

“Sure. I have my calendar on my phone,” Jane told her. They both got out their phones and looked at their calendars.

“We need a couple of months to plan,” Maura said.

“Yeah. Actually, what do you think about going the week after Thanksgiving. It might be fun to see Disney World all decorated for Christmas. I also think it’s a less busy time for the parks, which means we wouldn’t have to wait in as long of lines. My hair would also appreciate the November/December Florida weather better than summer Florida weather.”

This made Maura laugh. She scrolled to Thanksgiving in her calendar. “As long as I give enough notice, I think that would work.” Maura looked up at Jane and smiled, “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?”

Jane returned her smile, “Yes, we are! Let’s check the website to make sure we can get a hotel room for that week. We won’t book it yet, but I don’t want to ask for the time off if we don’t at least know we can get a hotel room.”

Maura took Jane’s iPad and clicked through the questions. “Yes, it looks like there are plenty of vacancies at the Polynesian that week,” Maura told her.

“Great. I’m gonna ask Cavanagh for that time off tomorrow.”

“I’ll notify the governor and find an ME to fill in for me.”

Jane left Maura’s house not long after that. She felt like a little kid at Christmas. She was so excited for this trip with Maura. She was going to make sure it was memorable for both of them.

Back at her house, Maura could not stop smiling like an idiot as she got ready for bed. She loved that Jane wanted to do this with her; she loved Jane’s enthusiasm; she loved Jane. Maura went to bed happier than she had been in a long time.

The next day both of them got approval for time off.

Jane text Maura: **_Cavanagh approved my vacation time!!!!!!!!!!_**

Maura: **_Come over after work and we can book our hotel and flights?_**

Jane: **_Absatutly_**

Maura: **_Turn on your spell check._**

Jane: **_Hahaha. That wasn’t a typo. It’s from a Disney movie or show. Idk which. Whatever, Tigger says it._**

Maura: **_Tigger?_**

Jane: **_OMG. We have a lot of work to do. Yes, I’ll be there around 6 unless we get a call._**

Maura: **_I’ll make dinner. We can’t have takeout two days in a row._**

Jane: **_I think we can but thank you!_**

Jane and Maura were both thankful that a call didn’t come in that afternoon. Jane was downright giddy by the time she arrived at Maura’s that evening.

“Hi, Jane,” Maura greeted Jane when she walked in the kitchen.

“Mmm, smells good,” Jane said.

“Thank you. It’s just stir-fry. I wanted to make something simple so that we can spend the evening planning our trip,” Maura said grinning.

“Oh, good idea.”

They both tried to eat at a regular pace that night, but both were too excited. They ended up finishing in record time.

“Why don’t you get your laptop while I do the dishes?” Jane suggested. “It will be easier to make reservations on your laptop rather than a tablet.”

Maura ran upstairs and grabbed her laptop. She set up an account on the Disney website while Jane finished the dishes. Jane came and sat next to her at the island looking over her shoulder.

“Okay, ready,” Jane said.

“I made an account. If you ever want to log in without me, it’s my gmail account and the usual password,” Maura told her.

“Cool.”

Maura selected the dates and hotel they had decided on, “Wow, there are quite a few room options. Can we do one of the club level rooms?”

“What does that mean?” Jane asked.

“One of the buildings has concierge service. Disney calls them club level rooms.”

“Do we really need concierge service?” Jane whined.

“They offer free food almost all day,” Maura added.

“I’m in!”

Maura laughed. Jane could be easy to convince sometimes, especially when food was involved.

“Alright. Now we need to choose our ticket types. This is complicated,” Maura added. They both read through the descriptions of the tickets. Maura was the first to talk, “I know you’re going to want to go to whatever this sports complex is and I think it would make sense to be able to go to more than one park per day, so I think we should get the ‘Park Hopper Plus Add-On Option.”

“That’s fine with me. I’d also like to go to one of the water parks,” Jane said.

“Oh my goodness,” Maura said with a laugh when she got to the next page. “There are so many options! Oh, good. It looks like we can choose those later. I do want the ‘Memory Maker’ add-on, though.”

“What’s that?” Jane asked.

“They take photos of you throughout the park and on the rides and you get them all digitally after your trip.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Jane looked back at the screen, “Jesus Christ. Maura, that’s too expensive!”

“Jane, no, come on, please,” Maura pouted, giving Jane a look she knew she couldn’t resist.

Jane rolled her eyes. How could she say no to that? “Okay, fine.”

Maura clapped her hands together happily and pressed the check-out button.

“I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much in one sitting except for when I bought my condo,” Jane complained.

“I have,” Maura said matter-of-factly causing Jane to roll her eyes again.

Maura finished the check-out process before turning back to Jane. “I also ordered a couple of Disney guidebooks on Amazon this afternoon. They should be here tomorrow.”

“Really?” Jane laughed. “Isn’t everything available on the internet nowadays?”

“Yes, but I enjoy reading guidebooks before I go on a trip. They are better organized than most websites,” Maura explained.

“Knock yourself out,” Jane said.

“What?” Maura scrunched her face in confused at Jane’s comment.

“It’s a saying, Maur. It means go for it.”

“Oh, okay,” Maura laughed. “I’m so excited,” Maura added clapping her hands together again.

Jane smiled, “Me too!”

Maura and Jane spent a lot of time talking about their upcoming trip over the next few months. Most of their family and friends couldn’t wait for the vacation to be over so they could stop hearing about it. Not that they weren’t happy for them. Plus, it gave them ample material to gossip behind their backs about how much Jane and Maura were like a married couple. New bets were even placed about whether this trip would finally get them together.

About a month after they booked their trip, Maura walked up to Jane in the bullpen, “Jane, I’ve been researching for our trip.”

“Don’t you have work?” Jane asked.

Maura shrugged, “I’m waiting for some tests. Anyway, I added the dining plan to our package. All of the guidebooks and websites say that if you plan it right and use the package strategically, you can save a lot of money.”

“But I’m supposed to pay for the food.”

“No, you are paying for whatever we have to pay for on-site,” Maura replied.

“Which implies food.”

“I disagree, but you can still pay for the rest of the meals. This won’t cover everything, but I think it makes sense.” Maura didn’t let Jane respond before she continued, “I also found that they have a special event during the time of our trip. It’s called ‘Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.’ It takes place after hours at the Magic Kingdom. What do you think?”

“Do you want to do it?” Jane asked.

“Yes,” Maura answered so quickly it made Jane laugh.

“Alright, I’m game for that.”

Maura smiled, “Okay, I’ll let you get back to work and I’ll go add the tickets.

As Maura walked away, Jane rolled her eyes and smiled to herself. She really loved how excited Maura was about this. She was very excited, too.


	2. Polynesian Hotel (Friday)

_Schedule  
_ 11am Flight from Boston to Orlando  
2pm Shuttle to hotel  
3pm Check-in  
6pm Dinner at ‘Ohana  
9pm Fireworks

* * *

Maura couldn’t sleep. She wondered if this is what kids felt like on Christmas Eve or before their first trip to Disney World. She didn’t think she’d ever been this excited for anything, especially for a vacation. Her first autopsy was probably the closest second she could come up with. She turned to look at the clock, which read 5:54am. Rolling onto her back she willed herself to get some more sleep. By 6:15am, she decided to give up and headed into her bathroom to get ready. Around 7:30am she made her way downstairs for coffee. She was dressed and ready to leave, but she wanted some time to check her bags one last time before they left. Jane was already in the kitchen fighting her coffee machine. Taking pity on her friend, Maura laughed and offered her help, “Here let me help you, Jane. You know, since you’re here so often you could just learn how to use it.”

“What fun would that be?” Jane asked with a smirk. “Good morning, by the way.”

“Good morning, Jane.” They worked in tandem to make coffee and a light breakfast, which they ate together at the island.

“I’ll do the dishes,” Jane offered. “I’m guessing you would like to do your final pre-travel checks and I’m already ready to go.”

Maura laughed, “Thank you. I’ll just do one final check.”

Jane finished the dishes and made sure everything was ready for their departure downstairs before heading up to find Maura.

Walking into Maura’s bedroom, she said, “Maura, are you ready…are you seriously bringing that many pairs of shoes?”

“What? We have many different activities planned. I need shoes to match each of my chosen outfits.”

“Maura, okay, I know you need a few different _types_ of shoes, but how could you possibly need…three, four, seven different pairs of heels?” Jane exclaimed.

“Well, the patent black heels are for the…” Maura started going through her list of planned outfits.

Jane cut her off, “No. You don’t need that many pairs of heels. You’re not going to be wearing them around the parks. We’ll be walking a ton, so you’ll want comfortable shoes. Can’t you pick heels that go with a couple different outfits for the evenings?”

“But…” Maura started.

Grabbing one of the three black pairs of heels, “Doesn’t black go with everything? Can’t you just bring these? Or at least can you narrow it down to one pair in each color?”

Maura pouted, but Jane wasn’t backing down. “Fine,” Maura conceded. “How many pairs of shoes do you find appropriate then?”

“One pair of heels, one pair of sneakers, and two other pairs of comfortable walking shoes,” Jane said thinking this was already more than she had packed.

“Three pairs of heels, sneakers, plus three other pairs,” Maura countered.

Jane laughed as she rolled her eyes, “Fine, but you’re carrying your own bags.” Jane knew she’d still carry Maura’s bags regardless of her threats otherwise. Eying the rest of Maura’s bags – yes, multiple – Jane added, “You do know we’re not moving to Florida, right? Do you even have any room to bring back souvenirs?”

Ignoring Jane, Maura said, “Come on. We should go.” Maura lifted her bag off the bed. She looked around at her bags trying to decide how to get them all downstairs without Jane’s help and without making multiple trips.

Jane laughed and grabbed two of Maura’s bags. “Let’s go,” she basically squealed. “I’m so excited!”

Maura joined Jane’s laughter and picked up her remaining bags following Jane downstairs. They both did a final check of the house before meeting Angela in the driveway since she was driving them to the airport.

Angela pulled up to the departures drop-off area at the airport. “Okay, girls. Promise to send me lots of pictures?”

“Of course, Angela,” Maura said. “Thank you for driving us.”

“Always. I’ll see you next Sunday when I pick you up.”

“Thanks, Ma,” Jane said as she exited the backseat and started unloading their bags from the trunk. Jane and Maura both waved to Angela as they walked into the airport. Getting in line for the bag check, Jane looked at her boarding pass.

“Wait, we’re flying first class?” Jane asked.

“Of course. I always fly first class,” Maura said.

“It’s like a two and a half hour flight,” Jane responded.

Maura raised her eyebrow in Jane’s direction, “You promised we wouldn’t argue about the cost of anything. That includes the flight.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. Besides, I’m too excited to mock you right now.”

Maura laughed. She was excited too.

A few hours later, they had arrived in Orlando and taken the shuttle to their hotel. They walked through the main doors into the lobby of the Great Ceremonial House – at least that is what the sign said. The bellhop loaded their bags into the luggage cart as Jane and Maura waited in line to check-in.

“Next,” the front desk employee called.

“Hello,” Maura greeted the employee.

“Hi and welcome to the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. My name is Sarah. Can I have the name on your reservation?”

“Maura Isles,” Maura replied.

After searching for their reservation, the Sarah continued, “I have you for a club-level room with two queen beds. However, we can offer an upgrade to one of our suites since we are not fully booked. The room would still have all the amenities available to club-level rooms, but it would have a view of Cinderella’s castle and the lagoon. It is also larger with a jacuzzi tub. However, it only has one king bed. Would you like to take the upgrade, or would you prefer to keep your current reservation?”

Maura and Jane looked at each other. Jane shrugged, so Maura turned back to Sarah and responded, “That would be lovely thank you.”

“Wonderful. I’ve upgraded you to the Honeymoon Suite, which is on the top level of the Hawaii building overlooking the lagoon with a view of Cinderella’s castle.”

“Oh, we’re not…” Jane tried to cut in.

“You don’t have to be on your honeymoon. When the suite isn’t booked, we offer the room to the club-level reservation that was booked earliest for the open timeframe. Your reservation meets these criteria.”

Jane had meant to say that they weren’t a couple, but she didn’t really want to try to correct the woman again. Besides, they’d probably enjoy the suite and it’s not like she and Maura hadn’t shared a bed before. Who cared if people thought they were a couple, Jane thought? They wouldn’t be the first to make that mistake and honestly Jane would have liked for it to be true.

“Thank you,” Maura told Sarah when she realized Jane wasn’t going to contradict her again. Secretly, she liked the idea.

Sarah went through the remining information about their stay at the resort, including how their MagicBands worked for everything from their park tickets to payment. She also gave them both leis, which Maura promptly put around each of their necks.

“The final thing we need is a credit card to put on file. This is the card to which all of your charges both in the parks and at the hotel or any other resort hotels that you visit will be charged.”

Maura started to pull out her credit card before Jane stopped her, “Nope, this is me.” Jane handed Sarah her credit card.

“Thank you. Your room is ready now, so you can head up. Your bags will be delivered to your room within the hour. Your MagicBands are already activated so you have full access to the concierge lounge, anything in the hotel, or the parks.”

They both thanked Sarah before walking through the lobby to take a mini tour. They walked around briefly before heading to their room. They had a dinner reservation and planned to take a more thorough tour of the hotel after dinner.

Walking into the suite, Jane exclaimed, “Holy cow. This is room is awesome.”

“It is beautiful,” Maura agreed. “I actually though the fact that she thought we were a couple would make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not like she’s the first and she won’t be the last,” Jane said. “Who am I to turn down a free upgrade? Wow, Maura. Come look at this view!” As they stood together looking out over the lagoon, hotel property, and the parks in the distance, Jane bumped her shoulder against Maura’s. “I can’t believe we’re here.”

“Me neither,” Maura said with a smile. “Thank you for suggesting this.”

“Thanks for not thinking I’m crazy,” Jane laughed.

There was a knock on their door. The bellhop brought their bags into their room and let them know how to contact the concierge should the need or want anything. Maura, of course, wanted to empty her suitcases, so Jane went along with it. They both got settled in their room before changing for dinner. They were ready a little early to go straight to dinner for their reservation, so they decided to walk around the hotel’s property. Per Jane’s request, they searched out the concierge lounge first, which already had hors d'oeuvres set out. Jane immediately set about filling one of the small plates.

“Jane, we’re going to dinner,” Maura scolded her with a laugh.

“I know but look at this. Besides, this is a tiny plate, and we have to get our money’s worth for the club-level,” Jane responded.

Maura rolled her eyes, but she conceded knowing she’d never convince Jane to save her appetite.

Jane turned to watch Maura looking out the large picture window at the lagoon, “Are you happy?”

“Yes,” Maura said as she smiled at her friend. “Very happy.”

“Me, too,” Jane whispered.

After Jane finished her snacks, she pulled Maura out the door, “Let’s explore!”

Maura laughed. They walked around the property scoping out the various pools and lounging areas, as well as the marina and lagoon beach. As they walked, Maura couldn’t help but glancing over at Jane. She cherished this time with her friend. Away from all the stresses of work and family, Jane was relaxed in a way Maura hadn’t seen her in a long time. Maura was really looking forward to this week and her time with Jane. It really touched her heart – metaphorically of course – that Jane wanted to do this for her after having heard she’d never been to an amusement park before. Maura had known for a long time that she had feelings for Jane that went beyond the limits of strictly friendship, but this was the first time she had wondered if Jane could possibly feel the same way. No one had ever done something like this for her before and she couldn’t imagine Jane doing something like this for anyone else. That had to mean something, right? She decided not to focus too much on wondering and to just enjoy her time with Jane, but she also couldn’t help but decide to pay more attention to her interactions with Jane over the coming week.

They made their way towards the Great Ceremonial House. They had a dinner reservation at one of the hotel’s restaurants, ‘Ohana. As they walked into the building, Jane turned to Maura, “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while.”

“I’m wonderful,” Maura told her. “I’m just enjoying the moment.” Maura gave Jane a reassuring smile. She wasn’t sure if she had ever been this okay.

Dinner was fun. The meal was served family style and both Jane and Maura enjoyed watching the kids compete in mini competitions in the middle of the restaurants. When they got to the hula hooping competition, Jane leaned over and whispered to Maura, “Why can’t I compete? I would totally cream everyone. I’m great at the hula hoop.”

Maura laughed at her friend, “I think that’s the point – to give the kids a chance to win.” However, Maura couldn’t help the blush that overtook her face as she thought about what Jane’s comment about being great at the hula hoop would mean in bed.

After dinner they explored the Great Ceremonial House, stopping in the gift shop. Jane of course filled her arms with snacks before following Maura around the rest of the store.

“Mauuurrraa,” Jane whined. “You have all week to shop here. Can we please go?”

Maura chuckled, “Okay.” Turning to look at Jane, she added, “Are you seriously getting all those snacks?”

“Yes, and no judging,” Jane stated.

Maura laughed, “Okay, let’s check-out. I’m just going to get these few things,” indicating the items she was holding in her hands. They walked to the check-out and Maura waited behind Jane, intending to check-out separately.

“No, no, no,” Jane said. “Put your stuff up here. I pay, remember?”

“Yes, for the things we need or decide to do together, not for souvenirs.”

Jane raised her eyebrow at her friend, fully intending to wait her out.

Maura acquiesced and added her items to Jane’s, “Fine. Thank you, Jane.”

“Oh, we should pick up the travel mugs that are part of our dining package,” Maura said as they walked out of the shop.

“Sure. Where do we get them?”

“Captain Cook’s, but I’m not sure where that is,” Maura answered, looking around. “Oh, here’s a map.” They looked at the map and eventually found their way to the quick service restaurant. Both of them filled their cups before they headed back outside.

“I think the fireworks are in about an hour. I know it’s a little early, but do you want to see if we can find lounge chairs on the beach?” Jane suggested. “We could just relax and talk until the fireworks. It’s such a beautiful night.”

“That sounds perfect,” Maura answered. They were able to find two lounge chairs together on the beach with a great view of the fireworks. Jane pulled her chair closer to Maura’s so that they could talk easier and just so that she could be closer. They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the evening.

After a while, Jane spoke, “I have two requests for you this week?”

Not sure what Jane was referring to, Maura asked, “And what would they be?”

“First, let’s not be super concerned about what we eat. I mean we can always find healthy stuff if we are starting to feel crappy from too much junk, but in general, I just want to enjoy everything they have to offer, even if that means three desserts.”

Maura laughed, “Deal. What’s the other request?”

Jane paused. She had been pretty sure that Maura would go along with her first request since she was also looking forward to experiencing everything Disney had to offer, including the food. She was less confident about her second request.

“Use you MagicBand to pay for anything and everything,” Jane said.

“Jane, no. I…” Maura started.

“Please. Food, souvenirs, whatever. And don’t think about the fact that it’s my credit card on file. If it’s something you would get if you were paying, then just get it.”

Maura paused. She didn’t like talking about money and she knew Jane’s budget was a lot tighter than hers. On the other hand, she could see in Jane’s face that this was important to her, that she wanted to be able to do this for Maura.

When Maura didn’t respond, Jane continued, “I saved a lot for this trip. You already paid for way more than we’re going to spend here…” Jane trailed off.

“Can I add one condition?” Maura asked.

“Do I get to know what the condition is before I agree?”

Maura laughed again, “If, when you get the bill at the end of the trip it’s more than you budgeted – because I know you budgeted a specific amount – you tell me.”

Jane didn’t love the condition, but she had to admit it was probably a good idea. Besides, she didn’t think they would actually spend that much. She was pretty sure that she had saved quite a bit more than Maura expected, especially since she knew how much Maura had paid.

“Okay, that’s fair. You’re right, I did budget a maximum amount. If we go over it, which I don’t think we will, then I’ll tell you and we will figure it out. I promise.”

“Okay, then I will go along with your request and use my MagicBand to pay for everything.”

As they finished their conversation, Jane realized she had reached the bottom of her drink, “These mugs are deceptively small. Would you be okay waiting here to save our seats while I go get a quick refill?”

“Of course. Will you refill mine, as well?”

Jane jumped up and reached her hand out for Maura’s mug. As she walked away she noticed that Maura had wrapped her arms around herself a bit, so before she refilled their mugs she stopped by the gift shop and bought them both matching sweatshirts (something she would never be caught in at home). The evenings were definitely cool this late in the year.

Maura waited back on the beach for Jane. She smiled to herself as she thought about their plans for the upcoming days. It was really sweet how Jane wanted to treat her and pay for everything. She would have to think of something special to do for Jane while they were here. She turned as she heard Jane walking back to her.

As Jane walked up, she handed Maura the sweatshirt, “I saw that you were a bit chilly and I figured we could use something warm for the evenings.” This warmed Maura’s heart, just the fact that Jane had noticed. She had been trying to hide it, not wanting to ruin the moment, but of course Jane would notice. She noticed everything about Maura.

They both pulled their sweatshirts over their heads. “They match!” Maura said.

“Yeah, sorry. Does that bother you? I know it’s lame, but I thought it might be fun…” Jane trailed off unsure of her decision to get matching sweatshirts.

“No, of course not. Actually, I love it. I just would never expect you to be okay with matching.”

Jane laughed, “I suppose that is a fair assumption. I’m pretty sure I would never be caught dead matching with anyone back home. Although, you’ve always been able to convince me to do things I never thought I would,” Jane admitted quietly.

Maura smiled. They sat together, chatting about everything and nothing, while they waited for the fireworks. After watching the fireworks, they gathered their things and headed back to their room. They walked close together, and both enjoyed the sensations they felt when their hands or shoulders brushed together.

“I think I’m going to shower tonight so that I’m ready to go in the morning,” Jane said. “I want to get to the park for the opening. They do a little ceremonial rope drop that I think you would enjoy seeing.”

“I would like that. What time do we need to be ready to leave in the morning?” Maura asked.

“Um, well the Magic Kingdom has magic hours so resort guests can get in at 8. I think we should be on the monorail by 7:30 to make sure we get there in time.”

“Okay. We’ll make sure to leave the room by 7:15,” Maura said.

Maura got ready for bed while Jane took her shower. Maura’s evening routine was almost as long as Jane’s shower, so they were ready for bed at approximately the same time.

Climbing into bed, they laid so that they were facing each other after turning out the lights.

“Thank you for planning this, Jane,” Maura whispered.

“I’m happy we get to do this together,” Jane answered. “Goodnight, Maur.”

“Goodnight, Jane.”

They both fell asleep quickly, dreaming of the days ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t actually know where the Honeymoon Suite is at the Polynesian (they do have one though according to Google), but we’re going to pretend it’s in the same building as the concierge service for the sake of the story. 😊 Also, I’m having a ridiculous amount of fun with this fic. Since I won’t be visiting Disney anytime soon, I can live vicariously through the characters. Plus, I have unlimited funds in my imagination! I know they’ve had quite a few conversations about money/costs, but those are done now. I wanted it to seem authentic, but also be able to “plan” the most exclusive (and expensive) dinners and/or events without having them talk about who’s going to pay every time.


	3. Magic Kingdom (Saturday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not going to switch points of view since they will pretty much always be together, but I am going to try to rotate whose thoughts I elaborate on more in each chapter (although, all chapters will touch on both of their thoughts/feelings). The previous focused on Maura’s, so this one will focus on Jane’s. For future chapters, I’ll add to the author’s note at the end whose thoughts were the focus of the chapter.
> 
> Also, note the rating change. I realized that with references to what someone might be like in bed the story really isn’t K/General Audiences. The story won’t be explicit at any point though.

_Schedule_ _  
_8am Rope Drop _  
_9:30am Cinderella’s Royal Table _  
_2pm Be Our Guest (Quick Service)  
Hotel Pool

* * *

Jane looked down at everything she was carrying trying to figure out how to open the door to their hotel suite. Deciding she wasn’t going to be able to open the door without dropping anything, she started kicking the door hoping Maura would come let her in.

Opening the door to her friend, Maura couldn’t help but laugh at all the food she was carrying. “Don’t we have breakfast reservations?” Maura asked. “I thought you were just going down to the concierge lounge to get coffee.”

“Well, I did get coffee,” Jane told her. “Besides, breakfast isn’t until 9:30. That’s three hours away. I brought you oatmeal,” Jane added, holding up the bowl for Maura to see.

“Thank you,” Maura replied, taking the oatmeal from Jane. “And thank you for the coffee, as well.”

As they ate together quickly at the small table in their room, Jane let her mind wander. She was enjoying her time with her best friend. She wished she could spend every day like this – waking up next to Maura and falling asleep next to her at the end of the day. Sometimes she wondered if Maura felt the same. There were days like today where she could see how happy Maura was and she hoped that she was at least a small part of that happiness. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Jane told herself to just enjoy the present and cherish the time she did have with Maura.

Jane and Maura left their room at exactly 7:15am and walked over to the Great Ceremonial House to catch the monorail. Once aboard the monorail, Jane and Maura were able to stand near a window. Both remained quiet as they looked out at the lagoon. By the time they arrived at the Magic Kingdom, the monorail was packed with people, but having lived in a large city for years, Maura and Jane were able to slip past many of the slower moving groups. By 7:45am, they were able to find a good spot to stand near the edge of Central Plaza closest to Adventureland where they could see the rope drop ceremony well without blocking the views of any kids. They didn’t feel the need to race to any particular attraction, so the focused on finding a good vantage point to see the mini celebration rather than being closest to the front.

While they were waiting, Jane couldn’t keep herself from staring at Maura. Maura’s face showed her childlike excitement, which Jane thought was probably the most adorable thing she had ever seen. Maura turned and caught Jane looking at her. Both smiled shyly but were saved the trouble of having to say anything by the start of the ceremony.

After the park was officially opened, Jane and Maura decided to amble around the edges of the Central Plaza as people raced past them to be the first in line for the most popular rides. Both enjoyed people watching, especially on such a beautiful morning.

Maura looked down at the map she had picked up at the park entrance. “Oh, Jane, look they have marked where the PhotoPass photographers are,” she exclaimed. “Let’s see if we can find one of them to have our picture taken in front of the castle.”

“Sounds good,” Jane said. “It really is a perfect morning. Hopefully, we can get some good pictures!” They ended up going to all of the PhotoPass photographers situated around the Central Plaza and back down MainStreet, USA. Some of the photographers even had them make funny poses and told them that Disney characters would be added to the pictures.

After they finished with the last photographer on Mainstreet, Jane asked Maura, “Do you want to try to ride any rides before breakfast?”

“Well, I was hoping we could go in one or two of the shops we’ve passed on Mainstreet,” Maura answered.

Jane laughed, “Of course you would want to shop. Sure, that sounds good, though. That way we won’t get stuck in any lines and miss our reservation.”

Maura smiled and grabbed Jane’s hand pulling her into the nearest store. Jane felt her whole body warm up at Maura’s touch and was disappointed when she let go once inside the store. Maura, of course, started with the clothes, but Jane was drawn to the stuffed animals. She spotted a stuffed Tigger and picked it up planning to get it for Maura (no matter how silly she might find it).

Maura walked over to Jane, “What did you find? Something for TJ?”

“It’s Tigger!” Jane exclaimed. “Remember?”

“Absatutly!”

Jane burst out laughing. She wasn’t expecting Maura to actually use a fake word. “Well, I’m getting him for you,” Jane said.

Jane expected Maura to argue with her that she didn’t need a stuffed animal, instead she asked, “Does Tigger have a best friend?”

Jane’s face broke into the biggest grin Maura had ever seen. Turning around she picked up a stuffed bear and held it out to Maura, “Winnie the Pooh is Tigger’s best friend!”

Maura took the bear, “Then I’m getting her for you.”

“Him,” Jane corrected. “Pooh is a boy.”

“Sorry, him. I’m getting him for you.”

“Okay, we should check-out and head to the restaurant. We can come back later if you want to shop more, which knowing you, you probably do.”

Maura laughed.

Jane added, “They will send the purchases back to the hotel, so we don’t have to carry them around.”

“Perfect,” Maura said. They paid for their purchases and headed towards Cinderella’s Castle. When they arrived, the went up to the second floor and checked-in with the restaurant. They were quickly seated and were happy to have been seated near the window. Disney princesses were walking around the restaurant stopping at different tables to talk to the guests.

After watching the one of the princesses – Maura wasn’t sure which one – interact with two young girls, Maura leaned over and whispered to Jane, “Do the children actually believe they are meeting the real characters?”

Jane laughed, “I don’t know. Maybe the really little ones, but I think most kids understand that they are just people in costumes. It’s still fun for them.” However, while Jane believed this, she said it quietly, just in case. She didn’t want to ruin any kids’ fantasies. Maura still looked skeptical.

Eventually, one of the princesses stopped at their table. Maura was very uncomfortable as she didn’t know how to act around an adult dressed in a costume pretending to be a princess. She barely knew how to interact with adults in everyday life. The princess introduced herself as Cinderella. Maura didn’t know whether she should introduce herself or what she should say, so she fell back on something she knew: facts.

“Did you know that the Cinderella fairy tale dates back over 2000 years?” Maura said. “In the Brothers Grimm version, one of the most popular English language versions of the story, the stepsisters actually cut off their toes to try to fit their foot into the shoe? Also, the shoe was gold not glass.”

Seeing the shocked face of the woman standing at their table, Jane decided to help. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about cutting off toes in front of kids while people are eating,” she whispered to Maura.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” Maura added, blushing. Maura stayed quiet the rest of the time the woman was at their table. Jane was good at playing along and chatted briefly with the women as though she really was Cinderella. Maura really envied Jane in moments like this.

When Cinderella left, Jane looked at Maura, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Maura said stiffly. Jane knew she wasn’t really okay. She knew that her friend was embarrassed. Jane felt bad, maybe a character breakfast wasn’t the best idea. Luckily, this was the only one they had planned.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom before our food gets here,” Jane told Maura.

“Oh, okay,” Maura answered. She really didn’t want to be left alone at their table in case anyone else stopped by, but she couldn’t tell her friend she couldn’t use the bathroom.

Jane stood up and headed in the direction of the restrooms. She didn’t really need to use the bathroom; instead, she was looking for their waiter. Quickly spotting him, she stopped him and said, “Is it possible for the characters to skip our table? Sorry, I know that’s a weird request. It’s just…” Jane didn’t really know how to finish that sentence without making it seem like Maura had a problem. She didn’t want to blame her friend. Luckily, the waiter saved her from having to come up with a reason.

“Of course. It’s actually not an unusual request. I will make sure no one else stops at your table.”

“Thank you!” Jane said, relieved. Not wanting to have lied to Maura, she quickly ran to the bathroom. When she got back to the table, she could see Maura visibly relax. Their food came almost immediately after Jane returned to the table. The food was just okay, but they enjoyed the atmosphere. Maura’s nerves settled down as the meal went on and no one else stopped at their table.

As they exited the restaurant, Maura turned to Jane, “You asked them to stop coming to the table, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry,” Jane said. “I just hated seeing you so uncomfortable.”

Maura smiled. “Thank you,” she responded quietly.

Jane pulled Maura into a side hug as they walked, “Anytime. Also, you should know that the waiter said it’s actually a common request.”

“Are you making that up to make me feel better?” Maura asked.

“No. I promise,” Jane said dropping her arm and turning to look Maura full in the face.

“Okay, well, thank you,” Maura said, and they dropped the topic. Jane still felt bad that her friend had been uncomfortable, so she decided that she would find a way to give Maura at least one good interaction with a character. Otherwise, she would make sure Maura wasn’t in that situation again.

They made their way to Tomorrowland. They made the mistake (at least in Jane’s opinion) in riding the Carousel of Progress, a rotating theater ride that follows the American family through the 1900s as technology advances. Jane considered going on this ride a mistake because Maura spent the entire twenty-minute show whispering to Jane the inaccuracies and oversimplifications presented in the show. Jane was amused, but the people sitting around them were not. Jane basically had to pull Maura away from the ride to keep her from sharing her facts about the history of technology with unwitting families around them. Once they were back outside, Maura continued her Google-mouthing. As much as Jane could listen to Maura talk for hours, she decided to find a ride that wasn’t based on history or facts. She was excited to find Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Jane figured she would be great at the laser shooting game that took place during the ride. However, knowing Maura probably wasn’t very interested in this ride, but that she is competitive, she decided to issue a challenge.

While waiting in line, Jane turned to Maura, “Winner gets to pick dinner?”

“What?” Maura asked, scrunching up her face in confusion.

Jane laughed. “This ride is basically a laser shooting game and the car-thingy we ride in shows each of our scores. We don’t have a dinner reservation, so I think the person with the highest score on the ride gets to pick where we eat for dinner.”

“That hardly seems fair, Jane,” Maura said with a smile. “You shoot a gun for a living.”

Jane feigned surprise, but couldn’t keep a serious face, “Is Dr. Isles turning down a challenge?” She knew this would push Maura’s buttons.

Maura rolled her eyes. She knew Jane was baiting her, but she couldn’t help but go along. “Fine, but no hot dogs.”

“Well, I can’t promise you I won’t get a hot dog, but I will promise you that I will pick somewhere that has acceptable options for you.”

“Fair enough,” Maura said. Holding out her hand, she said, “Deal!”

Jane shook her outstretched hand with a smile on her face, “You’re going down.”

They made their way to the front of the line and boarded the ride. “Ready?” Jane asked looking at Maura.

“Ready,” Maura responded grabbing hold of her laser shooter.

For the first part of the ride, Jane was winning by a long shot but somewhere in the middle, Maura hit one of the highest point value targets multiple times. She hit it enough times that she maxed out her score. When her screen showed 999,999, she threw her hands up in the air in celebration making Jane turn to look at her.

“Shit, seriously, Maura, how did you do that?” Jane said with a huge smile on her face but without taking her eyes off her targets. Jane finished strong, but there was no way she would catch up to Maura.

As they got off the ride, Maura couldn’t help but gloat, “I’m thinking salads for dinner…kale, maybe.”

Jane shook her head and laughed, “Yeah, I definitely screwed myself with that challenge.”

Maura laughed. She was going to tease Jane about this for the rest of the day (and probably longer). She was also going to make Jane think she was going to pick something she would hate, but she knew that she would end up picking somewhere that had things both of them would like.

They rode a few more rides in Tomorrowland – including Space Mountain, which Maura thought was pure torture – before heading to Fantasyland. They had a FastPass reservation for Peter Pan’s Flight, one of the newer rides in the park. They followed this with the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train ride and Maura decided her second roller coaster was much better than her first.

By the time they got off the Mine Train ride, it was time for the late-lunch reservation at Be Our Guest.

Lunch at Be Our Guest was quick service, meaning that they had to wait in line to place their order. Maura looked around the massive restaurant while they waited. Turning to Jane, she asked her friend, “Notice the baroque decorations? The baroque period was known for the elegant detail used in building design and interior decorating. There are also Gothic arches around the room. Gothic architecture predates the baroque period, but it does combine to provide a beautiful and romantic setting for the room.”

“Well, I mean Belle and the Beast do fall in love dancing in this ballroom,” Jane told her. “So I guess it was good that the room is romantic.”

“Who?” Maura asked.

“Okay, tonight we are having a Disney characters 101 class. Belle and the Beast are the main characters in Beauty and the Beast,” Jane said as she pointed to the characters around the room

“Oh, yes. It’s based on a French fairy tale.”

Jane laughed, “Of course you would know that. I’m guessing you’ve read the original French version, as well?”

“Yes, I have, and I quite enjoyed it.”

“You still have to see the Disney version,” Jane told her.

Maura laughed, “Okay.”

Jane and Maura enjoyed the rest of their lunch exchanging idle chit-chat. After lunch, the decided to explore the rest of Fantasyland.

Jane convinced Maura that they had to go on the Mad Tea Party ride next because it was a classic. Maura was pretty sure she hated her friend after that. Riding a spinning ride controlled by Jane right after lunch was a terrible idea. Maura was green by the time they got off.

“You can cut open dead bodies, but a kids’ ride made you sick?” Jane asked laughing.

Maura glared at Jane and started to explain the difference between nausea due to motion verse nausea as a result of seeing or smelling unpleasant things.

“No, no, nope. I don’t wanna know,” Jane stopped Maura’s lecture.

Maura laughed, “Alright, but you are not convincing me to go on any more rides where you have any control over the ride.”

“I won’t promise anything, but I don’t actually think there are any more rides like that,” Jane said with a smirk.

“Mhm,” Maura smiled.

“But let’s go on some easy ones next,” Jane added.

“Yes. Thank you!”

They got in line for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. While they were waiting in line, Jane noticed that Pooh and Tigger were doing character greetings outside the ride. She decided that if they were still there when they got off the ride, she would take Maura to meet them so that she could have a good character experience. It was perfect given their new love of Pooh and Tigger’s friendship.

Maura enjoyed the Winnie the Pooh ride. It was simple and childish, but at the same time it was sweet. And now she knew the Winnie the Pooh story better, which is something she was hoping to read up on tonight since she and Jane had gotten the stuffed animals for each other this morning. She decided this was a much more fun way to learn the story.

When they got off the ride, Jane noticed that Pooh and Tigger were still doing pictures. She turned to Maura, “You can say no I you want, but would you like to go meet Pooh and Tigger? We can get a picture. You know best friends with best friends?”

Maura was unsure. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself again, but she also liked the idea of the picture. “Okay, but you do the talking,” she responded.

“Yay,” Jane said grabbing Maura’s hand and pulling her to the line of people waiting to meet Pooh and Tigger.

When it was there turn, Jane introduced her and Maura to Pooh and Tigger.

“Hey. I’m Jane and this is my best friend, Maura. Can we get a picture with you guys since you’re best friends, too?”

Pooh and Tigger aren’t allowed to talk so they nodded vigorously. Pooh stood with an arm around Jane and Tigger with an arm around Maura – Jane and Maura were in the middle.

“Thank you,” Jane said after the picture.

“Yes, thank you,” Maura added.

When they were away from the crowd, Jane turned to Maura, “That was okay, right?”

“Yes, that went well,” she told her friend. Internally, she was appreciating how her friend always took care of her and checked in to make sure she was okay. She knew she was always safe with Jane, even in unusual social settings.

After meeting Pooh and Tigger, Jane and Maura rode It’s a Small World, another classic, but also another ride on which Maura couldn’t help pointing out the stereotypes and oversimplifications.

As the finished exploring Fantasyland, both women were getting tired. They had enjoyed the day immensely, but since they had a whole week ahead of them, they didn’t want to exhaust themselves on the first day. Deciding to leave Adventureland and Frontierland for another day, Maura and Jane walked back through Mainstreet towards the exit of the park. They stopped at a few shops along the way and purchased a few things for themselves and some souvenirs to bring home to family and friends. Since it was still early evening, they decided to take the boat back to their hotel instead of the monorail.

Jane couldn’t believe how tired she was just from a day at the park, but at the same time she didn’t want the day to be over yet. She asked Maura, “What do you think about changing into our bathing suits and going to the pool for a little while before dinner? Since we ate lunch late, I’m not super hungry yet.”

“That sounds perfect,” Maura responded. “And I was thinking would you be up for getting room service for dinner and just watching a movie in our room?”

“Yeah, I’d love that. You can save your prize and choose a meal another day,” Jane said.

Maura laughed, “I was thinking that was my choice, but I might just have to take you up on that.”

Jane laughed, as well. She knew she’d go wherever Maura wanted to go for any meal. She also knew Maura would always think about her likes and dislikes when she picked, so it didn’t really matter to her.

They headed back to their room and changed into their bathing suits before heading to the quiet pool. They found chairs together on the far side of the pool. After setting up their things, Maura said she was going to get drinks for both of them at the bar. Jane couldn’t help watching her friend walk away. Maura was wearing a bikini with a sarong tied around her waist. Jane was incredibly turned on by Maura’s body. She immediately felt guilty for thinking about her friend like that. Maura was her best friend, but they were _only_ friends. As she looked away, she noticed that quite a few other people were also checking Maura out, which pissed her off. Sighing, Jane put her head back to look at the sky. Not long after, Maura came back with their drinks.

“Are you okay?” Maura asked.

“Yeah, of course, just enjoying the sun,” Jane said. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yes!” Maura said and she started talking about their day. After about an hour at the pool, they decided to go back to their room and took turns showering. Maura showered first, so while Jane was showering, she ordered their dinner. Jane wanted to eat in bed and start watching movies, but Maura immediately nixed that idea, so they ate at the table. After dinner, they both got into bed and looked through the movie options. Since Maura hadn’t seen many Disney movies, Jane decided they should watch one of the classics. They ended up agreeing on Beauty and the Beast since they had enjoyed the Be Our Guest restaurant for lunch. They started siting next to each other in bed, but not touching. However, by the end of the movie, Maura had her head in Jane’s lap and Jane was playing with her hair – something Maura really enjoyed.

As the movie finished, Maura sat up and said, “I’m going to go brush my teeth.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Jane replied. “I’m going to put our dishes outside the door. Then I’ll brush my teeth too.”

Once ready for bed, Maura and Jane sat together too look at the pictures they had taken that day, both with their own phones and the photos on the PhotoPass app and picked a few to send to Angela. As the photographer had mentioned, there were a number of photos that had Disney characters added. There was even one where Tinkerbell was in Maura’s outstretched hand; this was Jane’s favorite because the look on Maura’s face as she tried to fake surprise was just too cute in Jane’s opinion. She was definitely getting this one printed and framed when they got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jane focused chapter.
> 
> Also, fun fact, there are a couple of high value targets on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. One time, I (by complete accident, not skill) managed to do what Maura does in this story and hit it perfectly multiple times maxing out my score. I’m truly terrible at those kinds of things and am usually the lowest scorer among my group, so I’m still proud of that one ride.


	4. Animal Kingdom (Sunday)

_Schedule_  
8:30am California Grill Brunch at the Top (Contemporary Resort)  
5pm Jiko – The Cooking Place (Animal Kingdom Resort)

* * *

Maura woke up before Jane the next morning. She quietly slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Just as she finished up and left the bathroom, she heard Jane stirring. Smiling at her friend, she said, “Good morning, Jane.”

Jane groaned and mumbled, “Mornin’, Maur.”

Maura giggled, “You are going to have to get out of bed if you want to make it to breakfast on time. We have an 8:30am reservation.”

“But this bed is so comfortable,” Jane said.

“The breakfast is buffet style and all-you-can-eat,” Maura added. This statement caused Jane to open one eye, making Maura smile.

Jane finally got out of bed and quickly got ready. They headed to the Great Ceremonial House and took the monorail to the Contemporary Resort where they rode the elevator to the top floor. They were quickly seated. Once again, they were lucky enough to get a table near the window.

“Wow, this is a great view,” Jane commented.

“It is. Look you can see the castle from here, and what is that?” Maura asked pointing to a pointed dome to the right of the castle.

“Space mountain, I think,” Jane answered.

“Oh, I hated that ride,” Maura said making Jane laugh.

They were both still laughing when their waiter arrived. He offered them a tour of the buffet before taking their drink orders and asking for their entree orders.

“I thought this was a buffet?” Jane asked.

“It’s actually a hybrid meal. You can go up to the buffet as many times as you would like, but you are also able to order a more traditional main entrée,” the waiter told them. Maura ended up ordering the Maine Lobster Eggs Benedict while Jane ordered the Pineapple-Coconut Stuffed French Toast. They also both ordered the signature cocktail, as well as coffee. After they had ordered, both headed up to the buffet. Jane filled her plate, but Maura tried to be more conservative in her choices as she wanted to save room for her entrée. The meal was wonderful – the food was delicious, the ambiance was amazing and enjoyable, and the service was incredibly attentive.

Before leaving, Maura and Jane stepped out onto the balcony to take a few pictures. As they headed down, Maura linked her arm with Jane’s. She was feeling a bit tipsy since they had decided to try the various cocktails included with their brunch. She wasn’t used to feeling like this so early in the morning, but as she held onto her friend’s arm, she felt warm from both the alcohol and the closeness.

The rode the monorail back to their hotel where they changed before catching the bus to Animal Kingdom.

After they were through the front gate, Jane turned to Maura, “What do you want to do first?”

“Let’s get our picture taken!” Maura said pointing to a PhotoPass photographer.

Jane laughed, “That really is your favorite part of this vacation. You know it would have been a lot cheaper to just get a photoshoot instead of going on vacation.”

Maura tried to give Jane an annoyed look but failed; she couldn’t hold in her laughter. “I’m enjoying everything, but I do enjoy having the pictures. It will help me remember this amazing vacation,” Maura added.

“You remember everything, Maur. Somehow, I don’t think you need the pictures.”

Maura rolled her eyes and gave Jane a playful smack on the arm. She knew Jane would like having the pictures just as much as she would after the trip was over. After getting their picture taken, Maura said to Jane, “Okay, since you humored me and got our picture taken, you can pick where we go first.”

Jane laughed, looking down at the map. After considering the various options, she said, “Let’s go to Pandora – The World of Avatar first. I think our first FastPass is for the Flight of Passage ride anyway.”

They rode the Na’vi River Journey ride first, which Maura absolutely loved. She thought the ride was beautiful, and while she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she also thought it was romantic, so she was glad she rode it for the first time with Jane. During the ride, she couldn’t help but glance at Jane multiple times. The luminescent colors made her friend look even more beautiful than she normally did.

By the time they got of the Na’vi River Journey, it was time for their FastPass for Avatar Flight of Passage. While she didn’t hate it, Maura was less fond of this ride, but Jane loved it.

“I think that is my favorite ride so far,” Jane said.

“It’s only the second day,” Maura said with a laugh.

“Yeah, but still, I really enjoyed it.”

They stopped at Windtraders, the small shop in Pandora, where they picked out an Avatar stuffed character for TJ. They had it sent back to their hotel.

From Pandora, they took the path that ran along the outside of the river to Africa. They had just under an hour until their FastPass for the Kilimanjaro Safari, so they decided to attend the Festival of the Lion King show at the Harambe Theater. Maura had never seen the Lion King movie but decided she really wanted to watch it while they were still at Disney after seeing the show. She loved the colors and the music.

As they stood in line for the Safari, Maura started telling Jane all about the history of safaris in Africa. “While today safaris are popular tourist attractions that focus on sightseeing and photography, they actually have a sordid history associated with hunting. Interestingly, the word safari illustrates the importance of both Arabic and African cultures on the practice. Safari means journey in Swahili, a word which draws its roots from the Arabic word for journey, ‘safar.’ Safaris were an important aspect of the early trade routes between the Arab world and sub-Saharan Africa.”

When Maura paused, Jane interjected, “You know, you have a weird definition of the word interesting.”

Maura turned to Jane offended before she saw the smirk on her friend’s face. “Ha ha, very funny Jane.”

Jane laughed, “I’m sorry, Maur. I couldn’t help it. When you use the word interesting to describe the etymology of words, I can’t help but laugh.”

Maura rolled her eyes but joined in Jane’s laughter. Not long after, they boarded the ride. Unfortunately, the animals weren’t that active. They were able to see some animals, and Maura maintained a constant monologue of facts about the various animals throughout the full 20 minute ride.

“Okay, I need a drink. I’m exhausted from all that learning,” Jane teased Maura. They found an outdoor bar called Dawa Bar, where they both got fruity drinks before finding a place in the shade to sit down.

“Since we had such a large breakfast and have another big meal planned for dinner, I say we skip lunch,” Maura said. “We can get a snack or something if we get hungry.”

“Yeah, I agree. I’m still really full from breakfast and I want to be able to enjoy dinner. This break is good, though – the drinks are refreshing. Can I try yours?” Jane asked.

“Sure,” Maura said as she pushed her drink across to Jane. She also grabbed Jane’s drink to try without asking for her permission.

After their break, they headed over to Asia. Maura didn’t want to ride the Kali River Rapids because she didn’t want to get wet. She told Jane that she would wait while Jane rode the ride, but Jane decided she didn’t want to ride it without Maura. They both enjoyed Expedition Everest, and Maura actually enjoyed the queue line, as well since it had a lot of facts and real artifacts from Mount Everest. After the ride, Maura treated Jane to folk stories about the Yeti, so when Jane found a plush Yeti at Mandala Gifts, she secretly purchased it and had it sent back to their hotel. She planned to play a little prank on Maura tomorrow evening once it arrived.

They walked through Dinoland USA but decided not to ride any of the rides after they heard people complaining about how much the Dinosaur ride jerked them around. Neither woman wanted a stomachache or a headache!

They were nearing the time when they would have to leave to get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge in time for their dinner reservation, but they still had time for one more attraction. They decided to see the It’s Tough to be a Bug 4D show. At one point during the show, little bumps travelled along the bottom of the seats to make it feel like bugs were crawling under them. The movement caught Maura off guard, and she screamed in surprise, which made Jane burst into laughter. She continued to tease her friend all the way to the bus they were going to take to the resort.

Since they didn’t have to wait long for the bus, they arrived at the resort a little before their dinner reservation, so they decided to head outside to see some of the wildlife.

“This is a beautiful hotel,” Maura said. “I love the lobby.”

“It really is,” Jane agreed as she leaned against the railing watching the giraffes.

Maura stood back and watched Jane as she watched the animals around them. Her heart was so full – even though she knew this wasn’t physically possible, this really was the best way to explain how she was feeling. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be with Jane like this every day, to not have to wonder if they could go on future vacations together, and to know that they wouldn’t grow apart. Her biggest fear was that Jane was going to meet a man, get married, have kids, and do all these things with her family. She knew this wasn’t fair; she should want her friend to be happy. She just wanted her friend to be happy with her – even if that was selfish.

Feeling Maura watching her, Jane turned her head to look at her friend. “You alright, there?” she asked.

Maura smiled. “I’m just hoping we can do more things like this,” she said honestly.

“Animal watching?” Jane asked confused.

Maura laughed, “I meant taking vacations together, but animal watching works too, I guess.”

This made Jane smile. “I’d like that,” she said quietly. After a pause, she added, “It’s almost time for our reservation; we should go back in.”

They headed in and were seated at the restaurant. Taking a look at the menu, Jane asked, “Um, wild boar? Is that actually edible?”

Maura rolled her eyes, “Of course and just because you said that we’re going to try it.”

Jane squinted at Maura before laughing, “Fine, but I’m getting the Filet Mignon for my entrée so that I know I’ll have something I like.”

Maura laughed, “Come on, Jane. This is the perfect place to try something a bit more adventurous. Try something new!”

“I’m letting you get the wild boar! That’s enough new for me.”

Maura shook her head and looked back at the menu, eventually deciding on the Maize-crusted Corvina.

Jane ended up loving the wild boar and both of them enjoyed their meals. They finished the dinner by sharing two desserts. They ordered the Amarula Crème Brulee, which ended up being Maura’s favorite, and the Cheesecake with Caramel and Toffee, which Jane loved.

As they walked back to the bus, Jane commented, “I’m stuffed. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat again.”

Maura chuckled, “Somehow I doubt that. I’m willing to bet you find something else to eat before the night is through.”

They headed back to their hotel. Just like the night before, they both showered before crawling into bed to watch a movie. This time they watched the Lion King.

As the credits began to roll, Maura couldn’t help but roll into Jane’s arms, but Jane didn’t seem to mind. She pulled Maura closer and hummed contentedly.

“The Lion King is just a retelling of Hamlet,” Maura commented out of the blue.

“What?” Jane laughed.

“The movie was beautifully done, especially the music, but the story appears to be derivative of Hamlet. I don’t know if it was intentionally based on Hamlet, but the similarities are undeniable. Although, this story has a much happier ending than Hamlet. I assume that was done to make the movie palatable for children.”

“Yeah, probably,” Jane said. “I doubt most parents would want their kids to watch a movie where the main character dies.”

Maura looked up at Jane, surprised, “You know Hamlet?”

Jane feigned offence, “Hey, I’ve read Shakespeare. I went to high school.”

Maura laughed, “Sorry

Jane joined her laughter and commented, “It’s okay. We should probably go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow with the Christmas Party in the evening.”

“Okay,” Maura said. As she pulled away from Jane, she couldn’t help but give Jane a quick kiss on the cheek, but she left the bed to brush her teeth before she could see Jane’s blush or before Jane could comment. Jane followed her in brushing her teeth.

When they were both back in bed, Jane turned out the lights before whispering to Maura, “Goodnight, Maur.”

“Goodnight, Jane.” In her head, Maura added, _I love you_ , but she was too afraid to say it out loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura focused chapter.
> 
> Also, I know this is a less exciting chapter, but I want to cover every day without getting too repetitive. The next three days/chapters will have more interactions and excitement.


	5. Epcot and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (Monday)

_Schedule  
_ 2pm Teppan Edo (Epcot: Japan)  
6pm-12am Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (Magic Kingdom)

* * *

Maura was trying her best to get ready quickly. Epcot didn’t open until 9am, but they wanted to arrive as early as possible since they would be leaving the part relatively early to get to the Magic Kingdom to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. They did have plans to return to the park later in the week, but this morning was the best time to ride the attractions in the front half of the park, Future World. Jane had been talking about some of these rides since they started planning, so Maura didn’t want to disappoint her friend.

Jane was already down in the concierge lounge eating breakfast. Maura was supposed to join her in the next five minutes, but she knew she wouldn’t be ready yet. She text Jane and asked her to get her coffee and oatmeal so that it would be ready for her by the time she got down there. Hopefully, that would save enough time.

Maura sighed to herself. She had been distracted all morning, which is why she was running late. She had woken up tangled up with Jane; her head resting on Jane’s chest, her arm draped around her waist, and her leg thrown between Jane’s. Jane had her arms wrapped around Maura, keeping her close. They had spooned before and cuddled often, but something about waking up in such an intimate embrace had thrown Maura for a loop.

Her attraction to Jane wasn’t new and Maura knew that she often sought out physical comfort from Jane in ways that she never did with anyone else. Maybe it was the different context that made this feel different. Usually when they were more physical with each other, it was to provide comfort after a difficult case or a nightmare or some other negative event. However, everything about this trip was making Maura happy, yet their physical contact only seemed to increase. Was it the romantic setting of their suite? Was Jane just more comfortable away from their friends and family? Or was Maura just overthinking everything?

Maura groaned and sat down on the end of the bed with her head in her hands. She had to pull herself together or she was going to slip up and then Jane would know her true feelings. She had already kissed Jane’s cheek the night before, and she wasn’t sure how Jane would have felt about their position this morning had Maura not removed herself from their embrace before Jane woke up. It’s not that she was embarrassed of her feelings for her friend or of her sexuality, she was terrified of ruining their friendship. Her relationship with Jane was the most important thing in her life. Jane wouldn’t think less of her because of her feelings. In fact, she would probably be extremely understanding, but it would inevitably change the way Jane acted towards her. Jane was conscientious, and she would never want to lead Maura – or anyone else – on, so she would self-censor her actions. It’s just who Jane was, and Maura didn’t want that. As selfish as it might be, she wanted Jane to continue to be physically and emotionally affectionate towards her, even if she only meant it in friendship.

Maura was still lost in thought when her phone buzzed, making her jump.

Jane: **_Are you alright?_**

Maura: **_Yes, sorry. I’m on my way now._**

Maura jumped up and grabbed her things, hurrying out of the room. She quickly found Jane in the lounge. Jane had finished eating but was still working on her coffee – her second or third cup most likely. She had Maura’s oatmeal and coffee ready and waiting for her just the way she liked it.

Maura smiled at Jane as she sat down, “Thanks. Sorry, I was late.”

Jane was still concerned, “It’s alright, I just want to make sure you’re okay. Are you feeling sick?”

“No, I’m fine, really. I just got caught up.”

“Okay. Well, if at any point, you aren’t feeling well today, just let me know and we can come back to the hotel. We can spend the day in bed watching movies if you want.”

Maura felt herself blush at the obvious innuendo. “Thanks. I will, but I’m feeling perfectly fine. Plus, I’m really looking forward to today.”

Jane smiled. “Okay, then hurry up and eat so we can go,” she teased.

They decided to walk to the transportation center to take the monorail to Epcot. Despite Maura running late, they made it to the park by 9:15am. They walked directly to Test Track where they had a FastPass between 9am and 10am. Jane enjoyed getting to design her car and found the ride itself to be fun. Maura was glad she went on it once, but if Jane decided to ride it again, she would pass. The ride picture of the two of them was hilarious though due to the look on Maura’s face.

Jane was keeled over laughing, “You hated that ride.”

Maura was glaring at her friend, “I didn’t hate it. They just took the photo at an inopportune time.”

Jane was still laughing, so Maura finally conceded, “Fine. It wasn’t my favorite.”

“You don’t have to like it just because I did, you know.”

“I know. It was fine,” Maura rolled her eyes at herself. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to admit that she didn’t really enjoy the ride. She supposed that she didn’t want to dissuade Jane from doing the things she liked just because Maura didn’t like them.

They had gotten through the attraction relatively quickly. Their next FastPass was for Mission: Space, which was right next to the Test Track. Their 10am pass was for the green side of the ride, which was the less intense version, but there was currently no line for the orange side.

“Jane, you should ride the orange side before we do the green side together. There’s no line right now,” Maura said.

“You won’t ride it?” Jane asked.

Maura shook her head, “No, I read about it. I think the centrifuge would make me ill, but you will probably love it.” She gave Jane a light shove towards the ride, “Seriously, there is no wait. You’ll be back before I can find somewhere to wait.”

Jane grinned, “Okay, thanks.” She ran off towards the ride. Maura looked around for somewhere to sit down. She didn’t even have to wait ten minutes before Jane was bounding back towards her with a huge smile on her face.

As Jane got close to her, Maura asked, “You enjoyed it?”

“That was awesome!” Jane said. “I loved it, but yeah, I think you’ll enjoy the non-spinning one a lot more.”

Maura laughed, “Should we get in line then?”

After riding Mission: Space, they decided it made the most sense to move counterclockwise around Future World so they headed back towards the front of the park and got in line for Spaceship Earth. Jane wondered how long it would take Maura to point out all the inaccuracies on this ride since it also delved back into history like the Carousel of Progress. Jane was not disappointed as Maura once again whispered to her throughout the entire ride.

As they disembarked, Maura turned to Jane and asked, “Do you think there is somewhere I can let them know about the inaccuracies and oversimplifications on these rides? It’s really a shame that children are being exposed to these errors.”

Jane laughed, “Maura, I think kids are fine. It’s not like they’re coming to Disney World specifically to learn the history of communication or technology.”

“But they could,” Maura asserted. “It’s such a great opportunity to teach children.”

“I mean isn’t it good enough that they are getting an overview? How are they supposed to communicate all the nuances of history in such a short time period?”

“I suppose,” Maura conceded. “I guess everyone has to start somewhere and children are typically taught simplified versions of history.”

Jane glanced at Maura with a look of such affection that Maura blushed and decided to change the subject. “Let’s go in the gift shop,” she said, pointing to the store underneath Spaceship Earth. In the store, they both found a few things to purchase for themselves and their friends and family back in Boston; once again, they had everything shipped back to the hotel. “We never opened our purchases from the Magic Kingdom last night,” Maura commented.

“Oh, that’s right and our stuff from Animal Kingdom should be there tonight as well,” Jane said. She would also have to remember to hide the stuffed Yeti so that she could try to prank Maura later in the week.

After they finished shopping, they headed over to The Seas with Nemo & Friends and slowly walked through the large aquarium called Sea Base. The darkened light gave the aquarium a romantic ambiance and Maura couldn’t help but walk closer to Jane. Their fingers kept brushing as they meandered through the attraction with Maura pointing out different types of sea life and telling Jane everything she knew about them. After a while, Maura chanced letting her pinky hook with Jane’s as they walked and her heart swelled – figuratively, of course – when Jane didn’t pull away.

“I want to swim in that fish tank,” Jane said, seemingly out of nowhere.

Maura giggled, “New career prospect? I’m sure there are employees that enter the tank to feed and care for the animals.”

“Nah, I just want to try it once,” Jane responded.

“Hmm,” Maura hummed. “Maybe I’ll have to take you scuba diving sometime.”

“Oh, that would be awesome!” Jane paused before continuing, “Hey, let’s go ride the Nemo ride.”

They got in line for the Nemo & Friends ride. Jane asked Maura, “I’m guessing you’ve never seen Finding Nemo, either?”

Maura shook her head, “No, but the clownfish and the regal blue tang are beautiful fish. The baby clownfish is so cute.”

Jane laughed, “The baby clownfish is Nemo. I guess we know the next movie we’re going to watch. They boarded the “Clamobiles” relatively quickly and both of them enjoyed the ride. These were quickly becoming Maura’s favorite types of rides – the ones that were gentle and slow but full of colors and music.

Jane and Maura had their third FastPass scheduled at noon for Soarin’, a hang-gliding ride showing various landmarks around the world. “That was a cool ride,” Jane commented after they finished the ride. “It’s not like I’m ever going to go hang-gliding by any of those landmarks in real life.”

“Maybe not hang-gliding, but we will make sure you at least see them,” Maura said with a soft smile on her face.

There was no line for Living with the Land so they decided to ride that attraction before they headed over to the World Showcase. Maura couldn’t help but point out all of the innovative techniques displayed in the greenhouse. “It really is wonderful that they are not only using these various methods, but that they are using this as an opportunity to inform the public of the importance of conservation and science in agriculture,” Maura said.

“I guess, but there wasn’t even a line for this ride, so I’m not sure how effective that lesson is,” Jane commented with a laugh making Maura roll her eyes.

“At least some people are riding it. Besides, the actual use of the modern greenhouse methods is just as important as the lessons themselves.”

Jane laughed but didn’t comment. They headed back outside and walked towards the World Showcase and Showcase Plaza, stopping at the two gift shops in Showcase Plaza.

“Um, which direction should we go?” Jane asked.

Maura pulled out her map. “Well, our lunch reservation is at 2pm in the Japan Pavilion. Why don’t we start at Mexico and head around the circle clockwise? We can skip attractions that have long lines since we plan to come back another day. That way we will only have a couple of countries left after lunch and can head to the Magic Kingdom for the Christmas Party.”

“That sounds good, but since lunch isn’t until 2pm, can we get a snack?” Jane asked.

“Sure,” Maura said. She looked around and noticed a bar not far away. “Why don’t we share a drink and a snack or two at Choza de Margarita?” They ended up ordering the Fiesta frozen margarita, which was a combination of the wild strawberry, classic lime, and passion mango frozen margaritas. Since it was early in the day, they also got a non-alcoholic frozen drink called the Conga. As a snack, they split the empanadas de barbacoa and the freshly made guacamole. Jane loved the empanadas, but Maura preferred the guacamole. They both enjoyed the margarita but were glad they only got one alcoholic drink.

After their break, they got in line for the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. The rode the boat ride then strolled around the indoor market inside the Mexican Pavilion. They bought a couple of small things, including a bracelet and necklace set that they thought Angela would love.

They decided to wait to ride the Frozen Ever After ride in the Norway Pavilion later in the week when they could hopefully get a FastPass for the ride since the line was over two hours long. “I’m sorry,” Maura commented, “but I would never wait in line for two hours for a ride.”

“Wait until you have an over excited five year old who’s obsessed with Frozen. Somehow, I think you’d wait if they asked nicely enough,” Jane said with a smirk.

They continued around the World Showcase stopping at the China Pavilion, where they watched the Reflections of China 360° movie; shopping at the Outpost, Germany, and Italy Pavilions; and enjoying The American Adventure attraction at the American Pavilion. They were nearing their 2pm reservation at this point so they headed to the Japan Pavilion. They made sure to stop at every PhotoPass photographer along the way though and took plenty of pictures on their own as well.

Teppan Edo was definitely more Jane’s kind of restaurant, but Maura enjoyed it as well. The chef’s cooked the food on a grill right at the table. While they were eating, they overhead another table talking about how much they enjoyed Hibachi style restaurants.

Maura immediately turned to Jane, “This isn’t actually a traditional Hibachi style restaurant; it’s actually technically teppanyaki style, although the two are often confused. Hibachi is a traditional form of Japanese cooking that relies on a round or cylindrical grill that is typically heated using charcoal. The technique dates back hundreds of years. On the other hand, teppanyaki is a newer cooking form using a flat iron grill such as this,” Maura said indicating the grill in front of them. “For some reason, North Americans like to incorrectly apply the term Hibachi to teppanyaki-style restaurants.”

“Thanks, Google,” Jane said with a smirk. “Still tastes good, no matter what you call it.”

Maura laughed, “True. And, at least unlike some other chain restaurants, this restaurant correctly uses the term teppanyaki.”

“So you approve?” Jane teased.

“Yes, of both the food and the correct terminology,” Maura answered causing Jane to roll her eyes.

After lunch they decided to skip the rest of the World Showcase and return later in the week. They took the monorail back to the transportation center and walked back to their hotel where they both showered and changed for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The event technically started at 6pm, but they could arrive as early as 4pm with their event tickets – although, their park hopper tickets actually meant they could go to the Magic Kingdom at any time.

They ended up arriving at the Magic Kingdom a little after 5pm and decided to start with some of the Christmas pop-up shops. Jane wanted to find something fun for them to wear for the night and she found the perfect things at their second stop.

“Hey, Maur, come here!” she called to Maura.

Maura weaved her way over to Jane, “What did you find?”

“We should get these,” Jane said holding up a pair of Minnie Mouse ears and a Santa hat with Mickey ears. The Minnie Mouse ears were on a headband. The ears themselves were snowflakes and the bow perfectly matched the sweater Maura was wearing. Without waiting for Maura’s response, she reached out and put the headband on Maura’s head.

Maura laughed, “Jane, I don’t think we need these.”

“Yes, we do. And besides, I found one that not only won’t mess up your hair but also matches your sweater, so you can’t say no.”

A huge smile overtook Maura’s face. She knew this was such a silly meaningless thing, but the fact that Jane actually considered the fact that she wouldn’t want to wear a hat that would flatten her hair _and_ that she would prefer something that didn’t clash with her outfit meant a lot to her. “Okay, fine,” she conceded, “but let’s go pay for them before we get in trouble.”

Jane grabbed Maura’s hand and pulled her towards the check out before she could change her mind. They both put on their ears and moved on to the snack line. Both chose peppermint hot chocolate and shared a snowman pretzel. Neither felt like riding any rides at this point, but they wanted to try to see all of the parades and shows offered for the night. They started with A Frozen Holiday Wish and also managed to cat Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration before they found seats for the first run of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. They had a little time before the parade, so they sat on the curb. Surrounded by the Christmas celebrations, happy families, and (fake) snow, Maura felt incredibly happy and content. As they sat in silence just enjoying the night, Maura leaned on Jane, eventually resting her head on Jane’s shoulder. Jane didn’t comment or move away, so Maura stayed that way until the parade started. They had to stand up to be able to actually see the parade, so they had to separate. Throughout the parade, Maura continued to glance at her friend. She knew she was playing with fire, but as their trip went on, she was having a harder and harder time keeping herself from giving in to her desires and just kissing Jane.

Maura stayed close to Jane though throughout the rest of the night. They spent most of their time wandering around the park, enjoying all the decorations and the atmosphere. They got their picture taken with the PhotoPass photographers and sent a couple of selfies to Angela.

After the parade, they got a few more snacks and Jane decided to try the spiced cider while Maura got a decaf coffee. They watched A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas show while they ate. They finished the night with Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. The fireworks ended around 10:30 and even though the party went until midnight, both women were getting tired, so they decided to head back to their hotel.

They both got ready for bed. Jane tried to wait up until Maura came to bed, but she was so exhausted that she fell asleep waiting. When Maura came to bed, she ran her hand through Jane’s hair gently and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead whispering “Goodnight, Jane.” She quickly fell asleep and rejoined one of her favorite dreams. It was the dream where she and Jane were married with two kids. This time, their family was attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The older kid, a little boy around 5 or 6 years old who looked very much like Maura, was wearing the Santa hat with Mickey ears and the younger child, a little girl around 3 years old who was a mirror image of Jane, had the same Minnie Mouse ears headband that Maura had sitting on the nightstand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura focused chapter.


	6. Blizzard Beach and Magic Kingdom (Tuesday)

_Schedule  
_ 9am-12pm Blizzard Beach  
7pm Tony’s Town Square (Magic Kingdom)  
9pm Magic Kingdom Fireworks

* * *

One of the perks of being from Boston was that Jane and Maura were more accustomed to cooler temperatures. Therefore, even though it was only in the low-70s, they decided to continue with their plan to visit Blizzard Beach, one of Disney World’s water parks. Because the low-70s is considered cool by Florida standards, the park was relatively empty.

After they entered the park, Maura turned to Jane, “Let’s get lockers first; then we can decide what attractions we want to do.”

“Sounds good,” Jane replied. “I want to try to do every single slide or attraction.”

“It’s pretty empty here,” said Maura as she looked around. “You will probably have a good chance of doing that.”

“Will you ride them too?” Jane asked as she gave Maura her best pout.

Maura giggled, “Probably not all of them, but I promise I’ll at least try one of the larger waterslides.”

Jane’s face broke out into a grin. “Deal!” she said before Maura could take it back. They quickly found lockers and stored their things for the morning. When Maura removed her t-shirt and shorts revealing her bikini, Jane couldn’t help checking out her friend. She tried to hide her arousal in a joke. “You know, I’m not sure how practical a bikini is at a waterpark,” Jane teased.

Maura looked down at herself blushing. “I didn’t bring anything else,” she said defensively.

Jane laughed before changing the subject. “Why don’t we start with the lazy river?” Jane asked. “I think we will both like that.”

“Okay, where is the entrance,” Maura responded.

“There are a few,” Jane commented looking around. “Um, there’s one,” she said pointing to the entrance near the kid’s play area.

They both got their tubes and entered the lazy river, called Cross Country Creek. They started to float apart as they went further along the river. Jane wanted to get back to Maura, but she didn’t want to get out of her tube, so she tried to paddle herself back towards Maura’s tube.

“What are you doing?” Maura said laughing.

“You’re too far away,” Jane whined, “but I don’t want to get out of the tube.”

Maura rolled her eyes. Jane could be so dramatic. She gracefully slipped out of the tube intending to move her tube towards Jane’s, but at the same time Jane lost her balance while paddling and fell into the river with a huge splash drenching Maura.

“Jane!” Maura squealed. “You soaked me!”

Jane laughed as she surfaced, “Well that means I can get you even more wet!”

“No!” Maura tried to protect herself as Jane jumped towards her to pull her back under the water, but they were both giggling uncontrollably.

“Please keep your hands to yourself and stay on your own tube!” the lifeguard called out from the side of the river.

Jane immediately released Maura, but she was still laughing.

“Jane, you got us in trouble,” Maura hissed. She tried to sound stern but failed miserably. They had both lost track of their tubes, so they had to hurry ahead to catch them. They climbed back onto their tubes, but this time they held on to each other’s handles so they wouldn’t float apart. Jane looked over at Maura and could see the sparkle in her eyes. She loved seeing her friend so happy.

They ended up going around the lazy river twice, talking and laughing the entire time.

When they got to one of the exits, Jane suggested they try something else.

“What do you want to do?” Maura asked.

“Let’s take the chairlift up to the top and try one of the slides?” Jane suggested.

“Okay,” Maura agreed.

When they got to the top, they looked at their options. “Do you want to try Summit Plummet or Slush Gusher?” Jane asked.

“Do either of them use tubes?” Maura asked. “I don’t really want to do a body slide.”

“Um, unfortunately, no,” Jane said. “Come on, let’s do one. You promised to try one big slide”

Maura couldn’t say no when Jane gave her that look. Besides, she had already gotten to the top; she had to get back down. “Fine,” she said. She ended up deciding to do Slush Gusher because it was the shorter of the two. Jane let Maura go first so that she wouldn’t be left at the top by herself.

Maura was waiting for Jane when she got to the bottom. She was still in the water, so Jane walked over to her intending to splash her, but Maura put out her hand. “Wait, don’t, Jane,” she said through barely controlled laughter. “I need you to rehook my bathing suit top. It came unhooked on the slide and I can’t fix it myself without risking showing the entire park my breasts.”

Jane laughed, “You mean you don’t want to flash everyone?”

Maura laughed, but turned around so Jane could fix her suit. As they exited the pool, Maura added, “I am _not_ doing the other one. I’ll probably lose my suit completely.” Secretly Jane kind of liked this idea.

“Let’s go do some of the slides where you ride a mat or a tube. I would like to come back and try the Summit Plummet though if you don’t mind waiting.”

“Of course not,” Maura said. “You can do it now if you want.”

“Nah, we’ll come back,” Jane answered.

They ended up doing the slides on the Purple Slope quite a few times since there were no lines and they could race each other. Always competitive, Jane kept score, “I won 5 to 4!”

Maura laughed. “Yes, congratulations. Such a great accomplishment,” she teased. “Let’s try some of the other rides. We can always come back to these.”

They tried Runoff Rapids and spent some time in the wave pool before returning to the Green slope. Maura waited at the bottom while Jane tried Summit Plummet. Next, they headed over to Teamboat Springs. This waterslide was intended to make it feel like the riders are white-water rafting, so the circular rafts hold 4-6 people. Therefore, Maura and Jane got in a raft with two guys who looked to be around their age who introduced themselves as John and Kevin. Jane had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Maura. Her body seemed to bounce perfectly as the raft jumped back and forth down the slide. That is until she noticed John, who was sitting next to Maura, staring at her breasts after which she glared at him for the remainder of the ride. Just as they were getting to the bottom of the slide, they hit the side of the slide hard causing Maura to lose her grip on the handles she had been holding on to. She flew directly into John’s lap.

“Only you would have a beautiful woman land directly in your lap on a waterslide,” Kevin commented to John as he tried to hold in his laughter. No one saw the look of disgust on Jane’s face.

All four of them climbed out of the raft. Kevin returned the raft to the drop-off location while John tried to continue his conversation with Maura.

“Maura, right?” John asked her.

“Yes, and this is Jane,” she said indicating her friend.

“Are you two here with family?” John asked.

“No, it’s just the two of us,” Maura said. “We’re best friends, and when Jane heard I’d never been to an amusement park, she decided we had to visit Walt Disney World.”

“You’ve never been to an amusement park before?” John asked.

“Well, now I have as we’ve been here since Friday, but no, I had not been to an amusement park before this trip.”

“Seriously, you never visited one with your parents or with a boyfriend or husband?” John asked. Jane rolled her eyes. He was clearly fishing to find out if Maura was single, but always-polite Maura either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“No, my parents preferred more…” Maura tried to think of a word that wouldn’t make her sound snobby, but wasn’t successful, “…sophisticated cultural experiences like museums or theater performances. I’ve rarely travelled with ex-boyfriends, but when we did, it was a lot of the same things, museums and such. And I’m not married or with anyone at the moment, so it’s been wonderful to get to do this with my best friend.”

“That’s great,” John said as Kevin returned to their group. “Why don’t the four of us get a drink and find somewhere to talk and get to know each other better?”

“That sounds good,” Kevin said.

“We…” Maura started, but Jane cut her off.

“Thanks, but no thanks. We’re actually heading out,” Jane said as she grabbed Maura’s arm and started pulling her away from the guys. It was nice to meet both of you.” Jane gave them a huge fake smile and a brief wave.

“Yes, it was great to meet both of you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation,” Maura said as Jane pulled her away.

“Okay, bye,” Kevin said.

“Oh, okay, bye. Maybe we’ll run into you guys again,” John added sounding disappointed.

Once they were out of earshot of the guys, Maura turned to Jane, “What was that? You were so rude to them!”

“He was totally flirting with you Maura!” Jane said angrily. She knew her friend hadn’t done anything wrong, but she was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check as they continued their trek across the park.

“So, what?” Maura said. “It’s not like anything was going to happen, so what is the harm in a little flirting. Honestly, it’s been a while since anyone has innocently flirted with me.”

“Phshh,” Jane scoffed. “Innocent flirting? Come on, Maura, how naive are you? There was nothing innocent about that. He just wanted to get in your pants.” Turning to look at her friend, she waved her hand up and down her body indicating her lack of clothing, “or in your bikini, I suppose.”

Maura immediately stopped walking and crossed her arms across her chest. “Why do you always do this!” Maura nearly screamed.

Jane spun around on her heel to look at Maura. “Do what?” she asked feeling her face turning red.

“Scare away anyone who even looks at me in what you consider to be the ‘wrong way’!” Maura hissed. “It’s not like you want me, no matter how much I wish you did, so why can’t I flirt with anyone else?” Maura didn’t wait for Jane’s response as she pushed past her. She didn’t want Jane to see the tears that were flowing fast and thick down her face. At the last minute, she called over her shoulder, “And don’t you dare follow me. I’m going back to the hotel, and I want to be alone.”

Jane hadn’t moved nor turned around. She was frozen in shock. Did Maura really just say that she wished Jane wanted her? Jane stood there with her mouth hanging open in shock for a few minutes before she realized that she had to catch Maura. She quickly turned and nearly ran to the lockers hoping Maura would still be there. Just as she rounded the corner, she saw Maura near the lockers with her t-shirt and shorts back on. She could tell Maura had been crying, which broke her heart. She started to walk towards Maura but before she could get Maura’s attention, John stepped in front of Maura. Jane stopped in her tracks; she wasn’t close enough to hear them, but she had a clear view of them and saw when John pulled Maura into a hug. Shocked she quickly turned around and headed in the other direction as she felt hot tears spring to her eyes. She didn’t know where to go as she quickly weaved through the people. Eventually, she grabbed a tube and reentered the lazy river. At least here no one would talk to her and the splashing water would hide her tears.

Unfortunately, Jane had left too quickly and what she hadn’t seen was Maura pushing John away from her.

“I’m sorry. I’m not a hugger,” Maura told John through her tears. “I need to go.” Without waiting for an answer, she walked quickly towards the entrance. Part of her was hoping that Jane wasn’t far behind her, but the other part of her wanted to be alone. Jane didn’t catch up to her by the time the bus returning to the Polynesian hotel arrived, so she boarded the bus alone. She was extremely grateful for her large sunglasses. As long as she kept her head down and pretended to be looking at her phone, no one could tell she was upset.

Once she arrived back at the hotel, she headed back to their room. She didn’t know whether to wait for Jane to return or head out to avoid her. In the end, she was just too emotionally exhausted to find something else to do, so she decided to draw herself a bubble bath. She made sure to lock the bathroom door before getting in to keep Jane from barging in while she was in the tub. She turned on some music on her phone to drown out the sound of her crying.

The longer she sat in the tub, the more her thoughts spiraled. _How could I be so stupid? Why did I let it slip that I wanted Jane to want me? Now things were going to be uncomfortable, and they still had most of the week together. What am I supposed to do now?_ She knew she couldn’t avoid Jane forever, but she dreaded the awkwardness that she feared would overshadow the rest of their trip.

She was now crying so hard that she was having a hard time catching her breath. Realizing she was on the verge of a panic attack and that it could be extremely dangerous in the bathtub, she laid her head back to expand her ribcage. She took deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth until her breathing became easier and her heartrate started to return to normal. Once she felt calmer, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling deciding she should probably get out of the bath while she could in case she started to panic again.

As she dried off, she had to admit that she was somewhat surprised and a little hurt that Jane hadn’t returned to the room. She knew this was a bit childish since she was the one who ran off, but she couldn’t help it. Exiting the bathroom wrapped in a towel, she looked for clean comfortable clothes to put on, eventually settling on a t-shirt and yoga pants. Once she was dressed, she sat on the end of the bed unsure of what to do now. _Should I go back to the park to try to find Jane? Should I just wait for her here?_ The hotel seemed the most logical place to find Jane again since she wasn’t even sure if Jane stayed at the waterpark.

Sighing, she knew she had to occupy her mind, or she would drive herself crazy. She decided to do some yoga. She didn’t have a yoga mat and while she could probably ask the concierge, the idea of using a mat that an unknown number of people had used grossed her out. She decided to just lay a clean towel on the ground; not the best solution, but it would have to work.

Luckily, yoga nearly always worked to clear her mind, and before she knew it, an hour had passed. However, Jane still wasn’t back. She knew she should text Jane, but she kept hoping that Jane would either text her first or return to the room.

Picking up the towel, Maura returned to the bathroom. She turned on the shower figuring she might as well get ready for the evening. She wasn’t sure if they would still go to their dinner reservation, but she knew she would be upset if she wasn’t cleaned up if they did. When Jane still hadn’t returned by the time she finished showering, doing her makeup, and getting dressed, she started alternating between frustration, anger, hurt, and fear. She had no idea what Jane was thinking. _Was she angry with Maura? Did Maura’s admission make her uncomfortable to the point that she wouldn’t want to spend the rest of the vacation together? Would they go home early? Or get separate rooms? Would their friendship ever recover?_

Maura felt her panic returning and she did not want to cry again, especially after she had just finished her makeup. She decided she just need to give Jane the space she needed to work through this. Looking around the room, she found a notepad and pen and wrote Jane a note:

_J~_

_I’m sorry about this morning. I waited in the room for a few hours, but since it seems like you need your space, I decided to give you some time alone in the room._

_If you would still like to have dinner together, I will be at Tony’s Town Square in the Magic Kingdom at 7pm._

_If you don’t feel like going to dinner, that’s completely fine. Please just text me to let me know what time I can come back to the room. We really need to talk._

_I’m sorry!_

_~M_

Maura looked for somewhere in the room to put the note to make sure that Jane saw it. She spotted their bags with the souvenirs that they still hadn’t opened and pulled out the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger stuffed animals. She placed them together on the bed and put the note in front of them. She hoped Jane would notice the stuffed animals and pick up on the hint about best friends.

Maura paused one last time before she left the room. She decided she would just walk around the shops on Mainstreet and possibly get a coffee while she passed the time until dinner. She headed to the Great Ceremonial House and caught the monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

Back at Blizzard Beach, Jane realized she had been floating on the lazy river lost in thought for hours. She had, of course, been thinking about Maura the entire time. She was still in shock. _How Have I not seen it? Is Maura really attracted to me? Was it just sexual attraction or did Maura want something more?_ Jane knew she had fallen in love with her best friend years ago, but she never thought that Maura returned her feelings. Maura was always so open and honest; it had seemed incredibly unlikely that she would harbor secret feelings for Jane and be able to keep it to herself. Maura had once told her that she didn’t want to sleep with her – back when Giovanni was hitting on her – and Maura couldn’t lie. It’s possible that she had changed her mind since then, but Jane couldn’t pinpoint a change as she meticulously thought through the history of their entire friendship as she floated along. _Maybe Maura only wanted sex?_ Jane thought. _It had been a while since she had talked about having a date or having sex with someone – and Maura always told Jane about her escapades._ Jane rolled her eyes. She was sure she was overthinking this. She wasn’t sure what she would do though if Maura only wanted sex. She knew she couldn’t handle a friends-with-benefits relationship with Maura. Jane rarely engaged in casual sex and there would be nothing casual about being with Maura. There was no way she would be able to keep her own emotions inside at this point.

Once she realized how long she had been floating, she quickly exited the lazy river and headed towards the lockers. She hadn’t meant to leave Maura alone for so long, and she hoped that Maura didn’t think she was ignoring her. However, when she found her phone, she was disappointed that she didn’t have a single text from Maura. She had really expected Maura to at least ask where she was. She briefly considered texting Maura, but at this point it made more sense to just go back to the hotel and talk to her in person. She knew that no matter how difficult it was, they couldn’t just sweep what happened today under the rug; they had to deal with it and talk about it – actually talk about it.

Jane tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the bus. She could feel her anxiety rising as she waited. She also realized that she missed Maura; she wanted to be near her friend even if Maura was mad at her. This caused Jane to roll her eyes at herself. They had only been apart for a few hours. The bus eventually came and once she was back at the hotel, she hurried to their room.

“Maura,” she called as soon as she opened the door, but there was no response. “Maur, you here?” It didn’t take her long to realize that Maura wasn’t in the room. At first, she started to panic – _was Maura okay?_ – but then she noticed the Pooh and Tigger stuffed animals and the note that Maura had left.

Reading the note, she sighed. She felt bad for making Maura wait for her. That hadn’t been her intention; she had just lost track of time. Part of her wanted to try to call Maura, but she decided that maybe she should just follow Maura’s suggestion and take the time to get ready for the evening on her own. She sent Maura a brief text: **_I’ll see you at dinner at Tony’s at 7._** She wondered if she should also apologize, but she didn’t want to have that conversation over text, so unless Maura text her back, she was going to just leave it at that.

Jane showered and got ready for the evening. She walked over to the monorail at 6:30pm to make sure she made it to the Magic Kingdom for their 7pm reservation.

She immediately spotted Maura after walking in the door of the restaurant. Maura stood up when she saw Jane walking towards her. Neither one of them knew what to say so they stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds before the hostess saved them. The restaurant was pretty loud, but they were seated at a table that was a little more secluded. They didn’t say anything to each other as their waiter came and took their drink order. However, after the waiter returned with their drinks, Jane couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“Maura…” Jane started.

“No, Jane. I know what you’re going to say, but please let me go first.” Maura continued before Jane could answer, “I’m so sorry about today. What I said was out of line. I never should have blamed my social ineptitude on you and I…”

“Did you mean it?” Jane blurted out causing Maura to stop her sentence abruptly.

“What?” Maura said quietly, her voice shaking. She knew what Jane was referring to, but she had hoped to work towards up to that part of the conversation.

“Did you mean what you said about wanting me to…” Jane let her voice trail off. She was too afraid to voice it out loud. In this moment, she was terrified of Maura’s answer, especially if she had misheard or misinterpreted her.

Maura looked down at her hands willing the tears pricking her eyes not to fall. She couldn’t lie and she knew it, but she also didn’t want to say it out loud again. “Yes,” she breathed.

“Maura, look at me,” Jane said gently. When Maura didn’t look up, she reached out and tenderly placed two fingers under Maura’s chin to lift her gaze. “Please look at me.” When Maura finally looked up, she saw the tears blurring Jane’s eyes. Once Maura was looking at her, Jane spoke softly, “You’re wrong you know.”

Maura opened her mouth intending to stop Jane. She didn’t want to hear the rejection. But before she could speak, Jane continued, “No, it’s my turn now. You were wrong when you said that I didn’t want you.”

This was not what Maura was expecting. Shocked, she quickly asked, “What?”

Jane took a deep breath before she spoke, “Maura, I don’t really know what you meant by what you said today, but I…”

At the most inopportune moment, the waiter returned to take their order, “Are you ready to order?”

Maura had forgotten where they were. She was tempted to send the waiter away so that Jane would continue, but she decided they should just order quickly so that he didn’t keep coming back.

After the waiter left again, Jane laughed nervously. “Seriously, I finally work up my courage and I get interrupted,” she joked.

“Jane,” Maura quietly complained urging her to continue.

“Right, sorry,” Jane said. “Like I was saying, I don’t know what you meant when you said you wanted me to want you, but I can no longer avoid this. Maura, I _do_ want you. I want you more than anything. I love you – I’m _in_ love with you. Head over heels; crazy stupid in love with you.” Jane paused to take another deep breath, “I know that you didn’t necessarily mean that when you said what you said this morning, but…”

Maura cut her off, “I did. I mean, I do. Oh my god, why is this so hard?” Maura buried her face in her hands

Jane reached across the table pulling Maura’s hand away from her face and taking it in hers. “Hey, it’s okay. Take your time. There’s no pressure.”

Maura looked down at her hand in Jane’s and sighed. “Jane, I love you too. I’m _in_ love with you too.”

Jane burst out laughing causing Maura to pull her hand away. “Why are you laughing?” she asked trying not to be offended.

“I’m sorry. I think it’s just all the nervous energy,” Jane said. “I mean, we are a little bit ridiculous. How is it that I can literally talk to you about anything except the fact that I have feelings for you, and I want more than friendship.”

“You do?” Maura asked.

Jane sobered at that question, “Yeah, I do. Um, is that okay? I mean, is that what you want?”

A genuine smile overtook Maura’s face, “More than anything.”

“You know, Lady and the Tramp had their first kiss at this restaurant,” Jane whispered, leaning towards Maura.

Maura closed the remaining distance and captured Jane’s lips. Both women were smiling when they pulled back.

After a few minutes in comfortable silence stealing glances at each other, Maura spoke, “By the way, if that was supposed to be a pickup line, I did not understand it at all.”

Jane burst out laughing breaking the moment, but also putting both women at ease. They would be okay.

“I take it you’ve never seen the movie Lady and the Tramp?” Jane asked, still laughing at Maura’s comment.

“No, I can’t say I have.”

“It’s an animated movie about two dogs.” Jane pointed to the statue on the fountain near the restaurant’s entrance. “Lady is a cocker spaniel, I think, and she’s owned by a wealthy couple. Tramp is a stray dog, a mutt, I guess. Lady leaves her home after her owners have a baby and she falls in love with Tramp while on the streets. They have a ‘date’ at an Italian restaurant called Tony’s where they share spaghetti and meatballs,” Jane said, holding up her hands to indicate quotes around the word date. “They are both eating the spaghetti and end up slurping the same noodle until their snouts touch. Then they kiss, or whatever the G rated dog version of kissing is. This restaurant is themed based on the restaurant in that movie.”

“So it was supposed to be a pickup line?” Maura asked with a smirk.

Jane laughed, “Well, yes. I guess so, but pickup line sounds so crass, plus it didn’t work since you didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“It still worked. We kissed, didn’t we?” Maura said.

Jane grinned as she leaned in for another sweet kiss. Recognizing that they were sitting in the middle of a restaurant, they pulled back before it could get too heated.

Jane leaned back in her chair, “But Maura, I’m really sorry about this morning. I was being a jealous jerk – not that it was the first time – but still, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for calling you naïve.”

Maura shrugged, “It’s okay, Jane. I’m sorry too, for running away from you. Neither of us acted very maturely this morning, but honestly, I’d rather just move forward.”

Jane smiled, “Me too.”

The waiter arrived with their meal at that point. They both sat in comfortable silence while they ate. Both women realized how hungry they actually were in that moment; they hadn’t had lunch, but the stress of the day had overwhelmed the hunger.

Eventually, Maura spoke up, “I know we have a lot more to talk about, but do you think maybe we could do that tomorrow? I’d just like to enjoy the evening with you.”

“Yeah, we can do that. We’re okay though, right?”

Maura smiled, “Yes, Jane. We’re okay and I think we’re going to be more than okay soon.”

Jane smiled at Maura’s response. They changed the topic for the rest of their meal and primarily talked about what they wanted to make sure they did during the remainder of their trip.

They left the restaurant hand-in hand. It was almost time for the evening fireworks, so they snaked around the crowds until the found a place they could stand and still have a good view of the fireworks show and the castle. Jane pulled Maura towards her so that she was standing in front of her – Maura’s back flush against her front – and wrapped her arms around Maura’s waist. She rested her chin on Maura’s shoulder and they stood together, comfortable and at peace, waiting for the fireworks to start. They didn’t have to wait long. When the show finished, Maura turned around in Jane’s arms and pulled her into a sweet kiss trying to convey all the love she felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jane focused chapter.
> 
> Also, Tony’s is not a very well-liked table-service restaurant at Disney. I’ve only been there once and don’t have any notable memories good or bad of the place. I’m not recommending for or against it, but I chose the restaurant for their conversation because of it’s tie to the Lady and the Tramp story.


	7. Hollywood Studios (Wednesday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! When I started writing, I promised myself I wouldn’t go more than a week between chapters (I also promised myself I would finish anything I started). Then I got sick, which also put me behind at work. Now that I am caught up (well, not really caught up; more like back to as far behind as I was before I got sick), I am able to write again. Then I waited for the FF .net website to work again before posting.

_Schedule  
_12pm 50's Prime Time Café (Hollywood Studios)  
5pm Victoria and Albert’s Queen Victoria Room (Grand Floridian Resort)

* * *

Maura once again woke up in Jane’s arms, but this time she didn’t feel guilty for enjoying it.

“Morning, love,” Jane whispered in Maura’s ear causing a shiver down her spine.

Maura rolled over to face Jane, “Good morning, Jane.” Maura leaned forward to give Jane a soft kiss, but she pulled back before Jane could deepen it. Jane pouted causing a giggle to escape Maura. “I haven’t brushed my teeth, yet.”

“Seriously!” Jane laughed. “I would argue, but I suppose we should get going. Our first FastPass for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is right when the park opens and since we don’t have breakfast plans, I’d like to stop by the concierge lounge.”

“Good idea,” Maura said as she got out of bed to get ready for the day.

It amazed Maura how well she and Jane moved around each other as they got ready. They were completely in-sync and made it to the park right when it opened.

Jane loved the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Maura still wasn’t a fan of roller coasters, but she had to admit that the way the coaster was timed to the music was clever and entertaining. They headed over to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror next. The park was still pretty empty, so they didn’t have to wait long in line. During the short time they did have to wait in line, Jane still got a full history of The Twilight Zone, which was apparently one of Maura’s favorite shows.

Maura was still talking about the show as they got into the elevator and buckled into their seats. Because she was still talking, Maura wasn’t prepared for the drop. The surprise caused Maura to let out a high pitch scream and grab onto Jane’s arm. Jane burst out laughing but put her arm around Maura and pulled her close.

When the ride ended, Maura was bright red, and Jane was still trying not to laugh. “It caught me off guard,” Maura whined. “I wasn’t _actually_ scared.”

“I know, sweetie,” Jane said as she placed a kiss on Maura’s cheek before unbuckling her seatbelt and standing up. She reached out her hand to help Maura stand up.

Maura shook her head as she took Jane’s hand. “Really, I wasn’t scared,” she tried to convince Jane. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m trying not to,” Jane admitted. She let go of Maura’s hand and wrapped her arm around her waist as Maura continued to pout.

Maura tried to keep her arms crossed in front of her chest; she was trying to make Jane think she was angry about her teasing, but she was failing miserably. When Jane put her arm around her waist, Maura couldn’t help but melt into her side. She gave up the pretense and wrapped her arm around Jane’s waist in return.

“We should watch the Twilight Zone together sometime,” Maura said. “I think you would like it.”

“Yeah, I think I’ve seen one or two episodes. Honestly, I’m surprised you like it so much. It doesn’t seem like the type of show you would like.”

“On the contrary, while science fiction and paranormal elements are not to my taste, the show was known for teaching morals through unusual stories.” Maura continued, “One of my favorite episodes was the season 2 episode ‘In the Eye of the Beholder.’ It focuses on the tenant ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ The story is about a woman who is undergoing what is essentially plastic surgery, which the doctor says didn’t work and that she is still ugly. However, throughout the episode, we never see any of the characters’ faces. The episode ends by revealing that the woman is ‘normal’ looking by our society’s standards and the doctors and nurses are what the viewer might consider ugly. In the words of the episode’s closing narrative, ‘ugliness is the norm and beauty is the deviation from that norm’ in the world presented in the episode.”

“Do you have every episode memorized?” Jane asked with a laugh.

Maura shrugged, “I remember everything I watch, but I doubt I could quote the actual beginning and ending narratives of every episode.”

“Well, we can definitely watch some together sometime,” Jane said. “So, what do you want to do next?”

Maura pulled out her map and studied it for a few moments before answering, “Can we stop at the two stores on Sunset Boulevard then head over to Animation Courtyard to see Walt Disney Presents Gallery and Exhibits and the Walt Disney Theater? I think we should leave Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story World for after lunch.”

“Sounds good,” Jane said.

They were able to view the attractions Maura had decided on as well as ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and view Vacation Fun and For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration before their lunch reservation at 50’s Prime Time Café.

“This place is fun,” Maura said as they sat down for lunch.

“I hear you have to get the milkshakes,” Jane told her as she looked at the menu.

After they had both ordered, Maura decided to breach the topic of their relationship. “Should we talk about us?” Maura asked. She was staring at her hands and fidgeting with her ring, so Jane could tell she was nervous.

Jane smiled softly and reached out to take Maura’s hands in hers. “We’re okay, right?” Jane asked uncertainly.

Maura looked up into Jane’s eyes. “Yes, I didn’t mean to worry you. I just…well, I don’t know where to start,” Maura said as she let out a nervous laugh. “I want this, Jane; I want us, but I think we need to be on the same page about what that means.”

Jane paused as she searched Maura’s face trying to figure out the right answer.

Noticing Jane’s anxiety, Maura told her, “Jane, there are no right or wrong answers. Please just tell me what you are feeling.”

“I love you; that’s what I’m feeling,” Jane said. Maura smiled, which gave Jane enough courage to continue, “I love you and I want to be with you. I want to take you out on dates and show you how much you mean to me every single day.”

“I want that, too.” Maura paused, “Jane, will you be my girlfriend?”

Now Jane was smiling, too. “I would love to be your girlfriend as long as you’ll be mine, too.”

Maura leaned across the table and gave Jane a kiss. “I would love that, as well,” Maura replied.

Their milkshakes were delivered to their table and both women lapsed into comfortable silence as they tasted their milkshakes.

“Mmm, these are good,” Jane said. “Do you want to try mine?” She pushed her strawberry milkshake across the table for Maura to try.

“Thank you,” Maura said, reaching for the milkshake. “Try mine, too,” she added as she slid her Oreo milkshake to Jane.

After they had their own milkshakes back, Jane returned to the conversation about their relationship. “How do you feel about telling people?” she asked.

Maura snapped her eyes up to Jane’s. She wasn’t sure where Jane was going with this question. She hated the idea of hiding their relationship. She also wasn’t sure how long she could keep it a secret given the fact that she couldn’t lie. She already talked about Jane more than was normal for a ‘friend.’ How would she stop herself from talking about Jane now that she was her girlfriend and what if someone asked her why she was so happy? On the other hand, she knew this would be hard for Jane. Jane was raised Catholic and Angela still practiced. She never wanted Jane to be uncomfortable. It would destroy Jane if her family didn’t approve of their relationship. It would destroy Maura too, if she was being honest with herself.

Maura was quiet for too long, and it was making Jane nervous. “Maura?” she prompted uncertainly.

“Sorry, um, I don’t know,” Maura said quietly. She knew her voice betrayed her own nervousness. “What do you want to do?”

“Honestly…” Jane started, but she paused to gather her courage. Her eyes darted around the restaurant, looking anywhere but at Maura.

Maura, on the other hand, was still looking straight at Jane, hoping she would continue.

Jane sighed. “Honestly, I don’t really want to keep this a secret, but if you want…”

Maura cut Jane off, “No, I don’t want to keep this a secret.” She let out a shaky laugh before continuing, “I thought you might want to – and I would understand – but I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to hide this. I just…you make me so happy, and I don’t want to have to hide that, but at the same time, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I know you and your family are Catholic…”

Jane smiled. “No, that doesn’t matter to me. It won’t matter to my family, either. They won’t have a problem with me dating a woman. No, let me rephrase that – they will be thrilled that I’m dating you. I mean, come on, you’re already family. Plus, you’re a doctor.”

Maura’s face split into a huge smile. “Really?” she asked.

Jane laughed, “What part of that are you questioning?”

“I don’t know. I guess, I’m not really questioning it. I was just nervous that your family wouldn’t approve.” Maura sobered a bit before continuing, “I would be devastated if I lost them, but I’m not sure if I would survive if I lost you.”

Jane reached across the table again to take Maura’s hands into hers. “You’re not going to lose me or my family, _ever._ I can promise that.”

Maura smiled again. Their hands broke apart when their lunch arrived. They chatted lightly as they ate their lunches. As they were leaving the restaurant, Jane asked, “We have that fancy dinner tonight. What time do you want to go back to the hotel to get ready?”

“Oh, I forgot!” Maura exclaimed as she stopped in her tracks.

Jane spun around to look at her, “You know, if you want, we can go back now. We’re planning to come back here later this week anyway. That way, you will have plenty of time to get ready.”

“Are you sure?” Maura asked. She would actually really like to have a few hours to get ready. In a way, this was their first official date. She had researched the restaurant and it was an elegant restaurant. She wanted to look her best for Jane.

Jane shrugged, “Yeah, I want you to enjoy tonight. I know we were going anyway, but I still feel like it’s our first official date.”

Maura smiled, “I was just thinking that. Okay, let’s go.”

They headed back to the hotel. Once they got back, Jane decided to take a walk around outside to decompress while Maura got ready. Maura did, in fact, take a few hours to get ready. Jane joined her and got ready herself about an hour before they had to head over to the Grand Floridian.

Jane was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her phone when Maura walked out of the bathroom.

“Are you ready?” Maura asked Jane softly.

Jane looked up at Maura and her jaw dropped. She stood up slowly and walked towards Maura, taking her hands in hers. A soft smile graced Jane’s face as she whispered reverently, “You look amazing.” Maura was wearing a deep red low-cut blouson dress that hugged her hips with four-inch patent black pumps.

Maura blushed and looked down at her feet before she composed herself enough to look at Jane.

Jane returned her blush as she felt Maura look her over. It was clear to her that Maura was “checking her out.” While she liked the feeling of Maura looking at her, Maura’s prolonged silence was making her nervous.

“Um, are you ready to go?” Jane asked Maura, catching her attention. Maura could hear the nervousness in Jane’s voice. She smiled and leaned forward to give Jane a soft kiss.

“You look amazing as well.” Maura reached out her hand to touch Jane’s hip. “I love this dress,” she whispered. Jane was wearing a fitted black dress that fell to just above her knees with black patent kitten heels. Maura moved her hand from Jane’s hip to touch her necklace. She smiled as she asked, “You’re wearing the necklace I got you?”

Jane reached up and placed her hand on Maura’s trapping it between her chest and her own. She leaned forward to capture Maura’s lips with her own. Maura pulled her hand out from under Jane’s and slid it to the back of her neck, pulling Jane into a deeper kiss.

Jane pulled back with a soft moan, “We do need to go if we’re going to make our reservation.”

Maura stepped back and dropped her hands to her sides. “Okay,” she said as she turned around to grab her wristlet. She reached out her hand to Jane and interlinked their fingers. They walked hand-in-hand out of the hotel.

Jane broke the silence about halfway to the Great Ceremonial House. She reached her open hand up to touch the necklace she was wearing, as she said to Maura, “I love this necklace. You gave it to me for my birthday last year.”

Maura smiled as she looked over at Jane, “Although alexandrite is the modern birthstone for June, pearl is the more traditional birthstone. When I saw this necklace, I couldn’t help but think of you. It’s simple, yet beautiful.” Maura shrugged shyly.

Jane squeezed Maura’s hand, “Well, I love it. It’s my favorite piece of jewelry that I own.”

“I hope to get you something you like even more one day,” Maura said with a teasing tone, but Jane didn’t pick up on the insinuation and just looked confused. Maura was afraid she had gone to far, “I mean…I didn’t mean…I’m sorry, Jane.”

“Maura, calm down. I feel like I missed something just now. Why did you get all nervous all of the sudden?”

“Um…” Maura paused, then said in a single breath, “I was referring to an engagement ring. I just intended it to be a joke. I mean, not a joke that I want to marry you – just that it has to be your favorite…” Maura stopped talking before she could talk herself into a bigger hole.

Finally catching on, Jane laughed, “Sorry, I totally did not follow that.”

“I’m sorry,” Maura whined, feeling embarrassed.

“Don’t be,” Jane said still laughing, but she could tell Maura was still uncomfortable. She let go of Maura’s hand and wrapped her arm around her shoulders holding her close. “Really, Maura, it’s okay. I already told you I wanted to marry you. Yes, I want to date first and do this the right way, but I already know you’re it for me. This is my last first date, which is probably good since it’s an expensive one.” Jane got the reaction she was looking for with her last comment. Maura elbowed her in the side and laughed. “You don’t have to be careful about what you say to me, okay? We’re still us, just better.”

“Okay,” Maura conceded with a smile. She did feel better. Jane always knew what to say to make her feel better.

Sensing Maura was feeling more comfortable again, Jane decided to tease her a bit, “But maybe you should leave the joking up to me.”

Maura laughed, “We’ll see about that.” They had arrived at the monorail train station, so they ended their conversation, turning to lighter topics with the crowds of people around.

They made it to the restaurant five minutes before their reservation. They had a reservation for Queen Victoria’s Room at Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian. The dinner included a 10-course meal and they had opted to include the optional wine pairings with each meal.

After they were seated, Maura gave Jane a soft smile across the table. Jane really did look beautiful tonight sitting across the table in the soft warm light. She felt uncharacteristically shy, not knowing what to say in this situation.

Jane returned her smile and said softly, “You don’t have to be nervous; you know.”

“I know, but I am. Honestly, I’m not sure why, though. I know it’s just you sitting across from me. I know we’re still us.” Maura sighed softly, before continuing, “I just don’t want to mess this up.”

“You won’t. I won’t let you,” Jane told her with another smile. “No, I’m being serious. This means a lot to me too. You mean everything to me. We won’t mess this up as long as we’re both honest with each other.”

“I know you’re right. I’ll stop worrying about it.”

“No, you won’t but that’s okay,” Jane teased.

Maura laughed, “Fine, I’ll _try_ to stop worrying about it.”

“Deal. Now let’s enjoy this ridiculously expensive meal,” Jane said as the waiter came to their table with the first course.

They laughed, ate, and drank their way through the 10-course meal over the next couple of hours. After nearly licking her dessert plate clean, Jane said, “Okay, I was skeptical about this, but _oh my god_ , this has to have been the best meal I’ve ever had. Every single course was frikin’ amazing.”

Maura laughed as she demurely patted her mouth clean and folded her napkin next to her empty plate. “It was very good, I agree,” she said.

After signing the check, Maura said, “Can we get a couple more pictures before we leave?” The waiter had taken a couple of the two of them throughout the meal, but that was just sitting at the table. Maura wanted some of them closer together.

“Sure, of course,” Jane said. “I’m sure someone will take a few for us.”

Their waiter had overhead them and offered to take pictures wherever they wanted around the room. They had pictures taken next to the table under the chandelier and in front of the fireplace. For the first few pictures, they stood in the same poses they always had – friendly poses. However, for the last few pictures, Jane turned Maura so that she they had their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, clearly a pose indicating they were a couple and for the final picture she turned and placed a kiss on Maura’s cheek.

They left the restaurant and walked around the Grand Floridian hotel and its grounds. It had been a wonderful evening. They took quite a few more pictures of each other and together. Both were exhausted when they decided to head back to their hotel. When they got back to their room, they both completed their evening routines and crawled into bed together. Since her routine was shorter, Jane was in bed first. She was looking through the pictures on her phone from the last few days when Maura joined her.

“Are you looking at pictures without me?” Maura teased her.

“Sorry, we can start over!” Jane said. “Actually, let’s look at them on my iPad. We should pick a few to send Ma, too.”

“Okay,” Maura said. They cuddled close as they went through the pictures, choosing a few of their favorites from the last couple of days to send to Angela. When they got to the pictures from tonight’s dinner at Victoria and Albert’s, Jane paused on the last picture of the two of them with Jane kissing Maura’s cheek. “I love that one,” Maura whispered to Jane.

“Me too,” Jane said. “Um, would you be okay if I sent this one to Ma?”

Maura sat up surprised, “That’s how you want to tell her we’re dating?”

Jane shrugged, “It wasn’t what I had planned, but yeah I think this is actually a good way to tell her. Only if you’re okay with it, though.”

“I’m okay with it. I want to tell her and if you think this is the best way, then okay. And I really do love this picture,” she added with a smile.

Jane clicked the picture, adding it to the group of photos she was sending to her mom. After she pressed send, she suddenly felt nervous – not that her mom would be upset about their relationship, but that she might not like finding out this way. She didn’t have to worry for long though.

Angela responded immediately: **_Please tell me this is real?!?!?!?!?! <3<3<3<3<3<3 _**She also sent a screenshot of a close up of Jane kissing Maura’s cheek to make her point.

Jane started typing out a response, but her phone started ringing before she could finish the test.

Maura started laughing. Of course, Angela would have to talk about this.

Jane rolled her eyes but pressed accept. Putting her mom on speakerphone, she pulled out her most annoyed tone and pretending she didn’t know exactly why her mom was calling, “Yes, Ma?”

“Jane,” Maura chastised her. Turning to the phone, she said, “Hello, Angela. I’m sorry for your daughter’s rudeness.”

“Hey!” Jane exclaimed loudly.

“Are you two messing with me?” Angela questioned.

Jane laughed, “A little bit, yes, but not about the picture. Maura and I are together now; we’re dating.”

Angela squealed causing Jane to hold the phone as far away from her and Maura as possible. Maura started laughing. “I’m so happy you two finally figured it out!” Angela nearly yelled.

Maura was still laughing, so Jane answered, “Thanks, Ma. We’re really happy, too, but we’re also exhausted. I promise we will tell you the whole story tomorrow. We have a more relaxed day planned tomorrow, so we will make time to call you. Right now, though, we want to go to bed.”

“Alright, I know what that is code for,” Angela said.

“No! Ma, no! That’s not what I meant,” Jane whined, embarrassed.

Maura decided to save her new girlfriend, “We really are just going to go to sleep, Angela, but thank you for your excitement. We’re really happy that you are okay with this.”

“Of course, I’m okay with the two of you together. I hope you didn’t think I would be upset,” Angela said.

“No, ma, we knew you’d be okay about it, but it’s still nice to hear your happiness,” Jane said.

“I am happy for both of you,” Angela said. “Goodnight, Jane. Goodnight, Maura. I love you both.”

“Love you too, Ma,” Jane said.

“I love you, as well, Angela. Goodnight,” Maura said.

They hung up and Jane fidgeted with her phone. “That was a little awkward,” she said.

Maura reached over and took Jane’s phone from her hands, placing it on the nightstand. “Let’s just go to sleep, Jane.”

Jane looked over at her.

“I’m not expecting anything, Jane, but I am tired, and I would like to cuddle with my girlfriend, if that’s okay.”

Jane smiled, “Thank you. I love you, Maur.”

“I love you, too,” Maura said as she turned out the lights and cuddled into Jane’s side, quickly falling asleep in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura focused chapter
> 
> Victoria and Albert’s has a set-price menu. The regular dining room is a 7-course meal at $185/person ($250/person with wine pairings) and The Queen Victoria’s Room dinner is $235/person for food alone. With the wine pairings the total can be up to $400/person. This is before tax and tip.
> 
> Also, to be honest, I’m not thrilled with how this chapter turned out, but I’m hoping you all still like it.


	8. Spa Day, Wide World of Sports, and Disney Springs (Thursday)

_Schedule  
_8am Citrus Signature Package at Senses – A Disney Spa and Salon at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort  
2pm Light lunch at the concierge lounge  
4pm Wide World of Sports  
8pm The Boathouse (Disney Springs)

* * *

Jane was ready for a relaxing morning. She was having a great time with Maura on this trip, but the go-go-go of the busy park days had worn her out. Maura had been the one to insist on a day at the spa – Jane thought it seemed like a waste since they could go to the spa in Massachusetts – but now Jane was grateful. And of course, since it was Maura’s choice, she had picked the most _indulgent_ package available. Not only had she booked the Citrus Signature Package for both of them, but she had convinced the spa to allow them to do the package as a couple’s package.

“Good morning. Do you have a reservation?” the woman at the reception desk greeted them.

“Good morning, Sandra,” Maura replied, reading the woman’s name on her name tag. “Oh, you’re from Boston? So are we!”

“And yes, we have reservations,” Jane added from beside Maura.

Sandra laughed, “I am from Boston. I grew up there. I’m currently a college student participating in the Disney College Program. I’m studying hospitality management at the University of Central Florida.”

“That’s wonderful!” Maura said.

“Thank you!” Sandra said with a smile. “What is the name on your reservation?”

“Maura Isles. Our reservation is for 8am,” Maura replied.

“Thank you. Yes, I have you down for the Citrus Signature Package for two,” Sandra told her. “You will start with a couple’s massage where you will both receive the Citrus Grove Signature Massage. You will then both receive Citrus Grove Facials and Orange Blossom Signature Pedicures. The entire experience will last approximately four and a half hours. Do you have any questions?”

Maura shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

“Nope, we’re good. Thanks,” Jane said.

They were brought to a private room with two massage tables. Before leaving Sandra handed each of them a plush robe and a glass of water infused with orange and lime slices.

The massages were incredibly relaxing. Jane let her mind drift as her masseuse worked out the knots in her shoulders and back. She couldn’t believe that she and Maura were officially together. Of course, she had wanted this for a long time, but she hadn’t suggested the trip as a way to get them together. On the other hand, she thought this would be a fun story to tell their family and friends – and maybe even their future children. They got together at Disney World – the happiest place on earth. Maybe they’d leave out the part about Jane’s jealousy though.

After the massages, they were brought to another room and given fresh glasses of water. It would be about 15 minutes before their facials and pedicures. Once they were alone, Maura turned to Jane, “You were smiling almost the entire massage. What were you thinking about?”

Jane blushed. “I was thinking about you, about us,” she admitted quietly.

It was Maura’s turn to blush. “That’s sweet,” she said.

This made Jane laugh. “What did you think I was thinking about?”

“I don’t know. I guess I thought you were thinking about the Red Sox or the Patriots or some big sports win.”

“I was thinking about how we will get to tell our future kids we fell in love at Disney World,” Jane said.

Maura laughed, “That’s not technically true. We fell in love long before this trip. We just finally admitted it at Disney World.”

Jane waved her hand in the air, “Eh, that’s just semantics.”

“So, you were thinking about our future kids?” Maura asked.

Jane blushed again. “Yeah, I mean if we have them, if you want them. I was just thinking, not making decisions,” Jane rambled.

“Relax, Jane. I know you weren’t making decisions without me,” Maura said. “But just so you know, I like that thought. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you wanted kids.”

Jane shrugged turning so she could look at Maura, “I’m open to it. I like the idea of raising a family with you.”

“I like that idea, too.”

“We don’t have to make any decisions now. Although, I’d bet money Ma brings up grandkids when we talked to her today.”

Maura let out a loud laugh, “I’m not taking that bet. She will definitely bring up grandchildren – _and_ marriage.”

Jane laughed, but she didn’t have a chance to respond as they were ushered to their facials. The rest of their morning was just as relaxing as their massages. They took the monorail back to their hotel and took quick showers to wash off the oils from the massage and facial.

“Let’s get lunch in the concierge lounge and bring it back to our room,” Maura suggested as she got dressed in the bathroom. “We can call your mother while we eat.”

“Ehhhh,” Jane whined from her position laying across the bottom of the bed. “Can’t we just eat and enjoy the afternoon together _without_ my mother?”

Maura laughed. She knew Jane was mostly making a fuss for show. Jane got antsy when she didn’t talk to her mom for a couple of days. She also knew that Jane wanted her family to know about their relationship. “We are calling your mom,” Maura said, walking out of the bathroom.

“Fine but food first,” Jane said.

They both found something they would enjoy for lunch. Jane filled her plate with what Maura considered to be a ridiculous amount of food, but she didn’t say anything. Their dinner reservations weren’t until 8pm, anyway.

“Make sure you drink plenty of water,” Maura said to Jane. “It’s important to rehydrate after massages.”

Jane chuckled as she made a show of grabbing an extra water bottle, “Thanks, Doc.”

Maura rolled her eyes but was glad Jane listened to her.

Once they were settled back in their room, Jane pulled out her iPad and set it up so that they were both in the frame. She dialed her mom, and Angela answered almost immediately.

“Hi girls!” Angela said.

“Hey, Ma,” Jane said.

“Hello, Angela,” Maura added. “How are you?”

“Good, but I want to hear about you two!” Angela said.

Jane rolled her eyes at her mom, “At least you said hello before jumping in.”

Angela glared at Jane but otherwise ignored her, “I knew you’d figure it out eventually. Everyone else has given up on you.”

“Hey!” Jane yelled indignantly with a mouth full of food.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Maura scolded Jane. Turning to Angela, she added, “What do you mean everyone else gave up on us.”

“Uh,” Angela stalled, but she decided to just go all in. “It’s obvious to everyone how the two of you feel about each other. Everyone talks about it.”

Jane and Maura looked at each other shocked.

“Seriously, what are we, the office and family gossip?” Jane asked.

Angela shrugged. “Yeah, pretty much,” she said with a laugh.

“Oh my god,” Jane let out, exasperated, throwing herself back in her seat.

“Why didn’t anyone talk to us about this?” Maura asked, waving her finger in front of her, her face a mask of confusion.

“I don’t know about everyone else, but I was afraid that if I brought it up the two of you would run even farther away from each other. Neither one of you has the best track record with relationships,” Angela admitted

“Gee thanks, Ma. You’re nosy about literally everything, and this is where you hold back?” Jane said.

“That’s basically the same reason we didn’t tell each other,” Maura piped up. “We were afraid of losing the most important relationship in our lives.”

Jane turned to Maura, “It doesn’t bother you that she just insulted us?”

“She not wrong, though,” Maura said. “We don’t have very good track records with past romantic relationships.”

“I didn’t mean it as an insult, honey,” Angela said (mostly to Maura – her daughter could take it, but the ME was more sensitive). “Yes, Jane, I like to be involved in my children’s lives, but I would never chance harming your relationship with Maura. Besides, we all know how insufferable you can be when Maura is mad at you.”

Maura tried to hide her laugh behind her hand but failed. Jane glared at her mother and her girlfriend. “Ma,” Jane whined. “Really?”

“You could just not make me mad,” Maura teased.

“Now you guys are ganging up on me?” Jane complained.

“Get used to it,” Angela said, making Maura laugh again.

“So not fair,” Jane huffed.

Angela laughed at Jane’s annoyance but decided to give her daughter a break, “Tell me more about your trip.”

Maura launched into a full description of all of her favorite parts of the trip with occasional comments from Jane. Mostly, though, Jane just listened. She might play along with the teasing, but if she was honest with herself, she actually loved how much her mom loved Maura and how her family accepted Maura as part of the Rizzoli clan already.

As Maura finished describing the beach where they watched the fireworks, Angela asked, “Oh, that could be a beautiful place to get married.”

Jane rolled her eyes, “Seriously, Ma? I highly doubt we will get married at Disney World.”

“But they do beautiful weddings. There is this show on TV – I can’t remember what it’s called – but they show Disney fairytale weddings.”

“I think it’s more likely that we will get married closer to home. We will want all of our family and friends to attend,” Maura said.

“But you are getting married?” Angela asked excitedly.

“Oh…” Maura gasped, slightly embarrassed by her admission.

“Give her a break, Ma,” Jane said. “We’ve been dating like 36 hours.”

“You’ve been dating for years, but okay,” Angela said. “I’ll let it go for now, but you better not wait forever. I’m not getting any younger and neither are the two of you!”

Maura let out a weak laugh.

“What are you going to do this afternoon and evening?” Angela asked.

“We’re going to Wide World of Sports and Disney Springs,” Jane said. They finished their conversation with Angela and cleaned up the plates from their lunch.

“Do you have everything you need?” Maura asked Jane as they got ready to go. “We’re not coming back to the room between the sports complex and Disney Springs.”

Jane had been looking forward to visiting the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, but she was underwhelmed. There wasn’t much going on when they visited and there wasn’t much to do besides look around. She supposed it might be cool if they visited when more games were going on.

They arrived at Disney Springs as the sun was setting. They still had plenty of time to explore the mini “village” before dinner. Jane hadn’t thought it was possible to get tired of shopping while at Disney World, but Maura managed to find enough stores to make it happen. Still Jane loved to see Maura in her element; usually that was at work, but apparently that also included shopping. Maybe Jane just liked to see Maura happy; no matter how that happens. She did learn that there were over 100 stores at Disney Springs. Luckily, Maura didn’t want to go to every single store. Jane did manage to find some cool souvenirs for herself and for friends and family back home. She had probably bought too much stuff at this point, but Maura had still out purchased her. TJ, in particular, would be spoiled this Christmas.

They made their way to The Boathouse for their dinner reservation just before 8pm. They restaurant, which was located in The Landing district in Disney Springs, had a beautiful view of the marina and live music was playing in the harbor. They were able to get a table outside on the water and their waiter took a few pictures of them with the marina in the background all lit up for the night.

The restaurant was known for its seafood. Maura started with the oysters and Jane tried the shrimp cocktail. For dinner, Jane couldn’t resist the Shrimp and Andouille Mac & Cheese. She even went all out and added the lobster meat. Maura treated herself to the Maine Lobster Tail Oscar. They decided to try the Boathouse specialty cocktails. Jane ordered the Lake Squall and Maura ordered the Blueberry Lemonade. The food was delicious. The drinks were a bit sweet, but they were still glad they tried them.

After dinner, they walked around the water hand-in-hand, just enjoying the evening together.

“I know we already did pretty much everything at Animal Kingdom, but we really didn’t get to see many animals on the safari,” Jane said. “I’ve read that the animals are a lot more active in the morning. What do you think about starting the day at Animal Kingdom for the safari and maybe a couple other rides or stores then heading to Epcot for a late lunch from there? We can then spend the afternoon at Epcot before our dinner reservation on the Boardwalk.”

“I like that idea,” Maura said. “I would like to see more of the animals, and I really enjoyed Animal Kingdom, so I wouldn’t mind going back.”

“Cool. Is there anything else we should make sure we do before the end of the trip?” Jane asked.

“Well, we still have the second half of the World Showcase, and I know you would like to see the Star Trek attractions at Hollywood Studios,” Maura said.

Jane laughed, “It’s Star Wars, Maur. Star _wars._ ”

“Sorry, Star Wars. I’d like to go back to Magic Kingdom, as well. Sorry, that is kind of a lot,” Maura said.

“We’ll make it work. We have late dinner reservations both of the next two days and a late flight on Sunday, so we can go to a park for most of the day Sunday still.”

Maura leaned into Jane and put her arm around her waist. “Thank you for this trip, Jane,” Maura said. “I’m having a wonderful time, and it means so much to me to be able to share this experience with you.”

Jane leaned over and gave Maura a soft kiss, “I love sharing this with you, as well. I’m so glad we decided to do this – both the trip and the next step in our relationship.”

Maura smiled, “I love you, Jane.”

“I love you, too, Maur.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jane focused chapter.
> 
> To add to the list of extravagant activities Maura and Jane signed up for that I will never do, the Citrus Signature Package is indeed available at the Senses Spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort for the low, low price of $475/person (read with a sarcastic tone). I’m not sure whether you can do the Citrus Signature Package as a couple’s package (they also have a spa for two package for $425/couple), but I’m guessing for the right price, they’d do it.
> 
> Also, all Disney employees’ nametags include where they are from, so I had to throw in at least one from Boston.


	9. Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Boardwalk (Friday)

_Schedule  
_ _Safari/Animal Kingdom  
_ _Lunch: Morocco (Epcot)  
_ _6pm The Flying Fish (Boardwalk)_

* * *

Maura woke up earlier than she needed to Friday morning. She watched Jane sleep for a few minutes as she reflected on the past couple of days. She had known as soon as they started planning this trip that it would be one of her most cherished memories, but she had never expected just how special this week would be. She was at the happiest place on earth with her favorite person in the entire universe – Maura knew that she couldn’t technically know this since she hadn’t met every person, but she was still sure that it wasn’t possible to like anyone else more – and that person felt the same way about her. What could possibly be better?

She leaned over to give Jane a soft kiss on the cheek before she quietly got out of bed to start getting ready for the day. She was just finishing her hair and makeup when she heard Jane stirring in the other room.

“Maur,” Jane called out sleepily.

“In here,” Maura called back. “I woke up early so I decided to get ready. I’ll go down to the concierge lounge to get a light breakfast and coffee for both of us while you get ready,” Maura said as she walked back into the bedroom.

“Mmmm, that sounds good,” Jane hummed.

“If I leave are you going to get out of bed?” Maura asked with a laugh.

“Yes,” Jane laughed.

“Okay, any requests?” Maura asked as she headed out the door.

“Something unhealthy,” Jane replied.

Maura laughed but didn’t respond, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the lounge where they had the usual continental breakfast spread laid out. She chose plain yogurt and fruit for herself and got Jane a pastry and fruit. She also got both of them coffee and a water bottle before she returned to the room. They were planning to have a relatively early lunch, so she didn’t want to get either of them anything too heavy.

Jane was almost ready by the time Maura got back to the room. They ate breakfast quickly before walking down to the bus stop to go to Animal Kingdom. They arrived right as the park opened and walked straight to Kilimanjaro Safari. Luckily, they were among the first guests to get in line, so it didn’t matter that they didn’t have a FastPass.

They boarded the ride vehicle and were able to get seats on the far-left side of the truck. Maura sat on the outside so that she could take pictures. As they rounded the first bend of the road through the reserve, they saw their first animals.

“Oh, look,” Maura said as she took a few pictures on her phone. “There are a pair of bongos.” Maura turned to look at Jane as she spoke, “Did you know that bongos are the only tragelaphid. which is a genus of antelope, where both male and females have horns?”

“Meaning you can’t tell whether those are male or female bongos?” Jane asked.

“Well, female bongos are usually more brightly colored than males, but since there are only two, there aren’t enough to make an accurate comparison,” Maura answered.

“I really love that you know that,” Jane said causing Maura to blush. Looking to the other side, Jane pointed to an animal she had never seen before. “That is a weird looking animal,” she commented to Maura.

“That is an okapi,” Maura said. “Okapis are actually closely related to giraffe despite the fact that their legs have patterns more reminiscent of zebras. I’ve never actually seen one in real life.”

“So, it’s a giraffe wearing zebra pants?” Jane teased.

Maura just rolled her eyes and continued to watch out the side of the truck. They saw many animals that were common to zoos, including black rhinos – which according to Maura are the most aggressive mammals – hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, giraffe, baboons, and elephants. As they turned another corner, they saw a large rock formation where a few lions were sleeping in the sun.

“They really are beautiful animals,” Jane said quietly.

“Did you know they can eat up to 40 kilograms of food in a single meal? Although they don’t usually eat that much in one sitting,” Maura commented.

“In English?” Jane asked with a smirk.

“Well, the English actually use the metric system, so technically…” Maura started, but Jane cut her off.

“Mauraaaa…” Jane whined.

Maura smiled at her friend. “40 kilograms is about 88 pounds,” Maura said.

“Holy crap!” Jane exclaimed. “That’s a lot of food. Even I don’t eat that much.”

Maura rolled her eyes again. “You definitely cannot eat that much. You would be sick well before you consumed 88 pounds of food.”

The safari vehicle returned to the station and they disembarked. Overall, they were glad they had decided to come back. They had seen many more animals this time than they had last time they rode Kilimanjaro Safari.

“Is there anything else you’d like to do here before we leave? I don’t think we’ll be back to Animal Kingdom on this trip,” Jane said.

“I don’t think so,” Maura said. “Why don’t we just walk by the Tree of Life again on our way to the front of the park?”

“Alright,” Jane said. They made their way back through the park, stopping every so often to take pictures, especially close up to the Tree. They were able to take a bus directly from Animal Kingdom to Epcot, where they planned to spend the afternoon.

While they were riding the bus, Jane said, “I’m hungry. Let’s get an early lunch at one of the countries in World Showcase.”

“That is a good idea,” Maura replied. “Do you have a preference?”

“I can’t really remember what the options are.”

“I have a map,” Maura said as she pulled a map of Epcot out of her bag. Jane looked over her shoulder as they read through the dining options.

“What about Morocco? That’s something we don’t usually have at home,” Jane said.

“Okay,” Maura agreed. “That sounds like a good option. It looks like they have outdoor seating options, as well, which would be nice. We’ll be back in the Boston winter soon; I’d like to enjoy the nice weather.”

“Perfect,” Jane said. “Let’s head there first, then we can make our way around the lagoon. I think we exit through the International Gateway to get to the Boardwalk, which is where our dinner reservation is. We also have a FastPass for the Frozen ride at 3pm.”

About half an hour later, they were sitting down with their lunches from the Tangierine Café at one of the outdoor tables. Maura had chosen the Vegetarian Platter and Jane had decided on the Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter. Maura, of course, had to try the chicken and lamb. She also stole a bite of Jane’s Tangierine couscous salad, which she had hoped would come with her meal. Jane was able to order a beer and Maura decided to try the Moroccan wine.

“I can’t believe we have to go home the day after tomorrow,” Jane said sadly as they ate.

“I know,” Maura replied. “This has been amazing. I’m not ready for the trip to end. I hadn’t realized how much we needed this break from the stresses of work and home.”

“We should plan our next vacation,” Jane said. “I probably can’t take this much time off anytime soon, but maybe in a year or so. That’s not to say we can’t plan smaller weekend vacations in between.” With a smirk she added, “Because now you have to go on all your vacations with me.”

Maura’s face broke out into the biggest smile. She knew it wasn’t possible, but she was slightly worried her face might split in half. She had believed that Jane loved her, but she was still afraid to think too much about the future. However, it appeared that Jane didn’t have the same fear. She was already thinking about them still being together a year from now.

“Where do you want to go?” Maura asked.

Jane thought for a minute. “Well, I picked Disney, so maybe you should pick the next one. We could take weekend trips to Cape Cod, New York, Charleston; those kinds of places.”

“I’d love to go to Paris with you. Or Rome,” Maura said. “Oh, or maybe London. Okay, really anywhere in Europe.”

Jane smiled, “I’d love any of those. I’d love to go to Europe with you. I’ve never been. I’ve never really had anyone to go with.”

“We should plan early, though,” Maura said. “That way, we can get the time off, and it’s also easier to get the best reservations. Also,” Maura paused before admitting, “I really enjoyed planning this trip _with you_.” Maura felt herself blush as she went back to her food. She didn’t know exactly why she was blushing. It’s not like Jane didn’t know she enjoyed the planning process. They both had, but something about admitting that a big reason she enjoyed it so much was that she was doing it with Jane made her feel a bit vulnerable.

“I did too,” Jane admitted. “And I hate planning.”

Maura laughed. After finishing their lunch, they browsed the shops in the Morocco pavilion. Maura found a few bracelets that she loved. She purchased a few for herself and for Angela. They decided to go the opposite way around the lagoon this time. While they had already visited the Japan, American Adventure, Italy, Germany, China, and Canada pavilions, they decided to at least venture through all of the countries again, since they had time. After leisurely shopping and stopping to take more photos, they made their way to the Norway pavilion where they had a FastPass for Frozen Ever After. Even with the FastPass, they had to wait half an hour in line. Since they hadn’t had to wait in very many lines so far during their trip, they didn’t mind.

After they disembarked, Maura commented, “I really liked that ride. The music and the story were so sweet.”

“Yeah, I liked it too,” Jane said. “I think the songs were the same as the movie, but it was a new story.”

“Have you seen every Disney movie?” Maura teased.

Jane laughed and shrugged, “All the popular ones, yeah. I mean, most of them I saw as a kid.”

“Wasn’t Frozen released in the last 5-10 years?” Maura asked.

Jane put her hands up in surrender, “I plead the fifth!”

Maura laughed, “Well, next time make sure to invite me.”

Jane smiled, “Deal. We need to make a list of all the movies you want to watch after this trip. I think we’ll be back to the hotel at a reasonable time tonight. Maybe we can watch Frozen. It’s one of my favorites because for once the prince isn’t the hero.”

“Yes, I like that idea,” Maura said as they walked toward the Mexico pavilion. “I think we both need a relaxing night.”

Jane laughed, “Yeah, going to Disney shouldn’t feel like more of a workout than training for work, but somehow it does.”

“It’s because walking uses different muscles than running and punching,” Maura started to explain.

“I wasn’t asking,” Jane teased. Catching sight of the outdoor margarita bar they had stopped at last time they were here, Jane said, “Can we stop for a drink and maybe a snack? I know our reservation isn’t that late, but I really liked the food at that place.” She was pointing to Choza de Margarita.

“Of course,” Maura said. “I think I’ll stick with the non-alcoholic beverage, though, personally.”

They took a short break while they shared snacks and drinks at a small table near the outdoor bar. Eventually, they got up and continued making their way around the lagoon. The next pavilion was the Canada pavilion. They watched the Canada: Far and Wide 360-degree movie. The scenery was beautiful, but otherwise, they were unimpressed by the film. They loved walking through the Victoria Gardens, though.

Next, they made their way to the United Kingdom pavilion, which was built to look like a small village, where they enjoyed walking through the various shops.

The last pavilion was the France pavilion. The sun was getting low in the sky creating a beautiful glow opposite the fake Eiffel Tower. They decided to find the PhotoPass photographers to have a few more pictures taken in this light. They watched the Impressions de France film before heading back towards the International Gateway, which sat between the United Kingdom and France pavilions.

They exited the park deciding to go explore the Boardwalk before their 6pm dinner reservation. There was both a walking path and boats to transport guests between Epcot and the Boardwalk. They decided to walk to the Boardwalk and planned to take the boats back after dinner. They ended up being very happy with their decision as there were many places along the way to take pictures and they were able to take advantage of the low sun.

Once they got to the Boardwalk, they wandered through the shops, making a few purchases along the way. They still had about 20 minutes before their reservation, so they decided to just stroll along the water. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand for a while, eventually stopping to look out over the water.

Maura leaned into Jane as they stood there. The moment was perfect, and Maura didn’t want it to end.

“I’ve had an amazing time with you this week,” Jane whispered as she kissed the crown of Maura’s head. “I know we keep saying that, but I don’t care. I really think this has been the best week of my life.”

Maura smiled warmly. She picked up her head from Jane’s shoulder and turned to give her a proper kiss. “I love you, Jane,” she said. “And I agree. This week has been absolutely amazing.”

“I think it’s a good thing that we got together on this trip because if we didn’t, then I would have to pick between this week and the week we got together as my favorite week,” Jane said.

Maura laughed, “I’m not sure anyone would have actually made you pick, but I do love the fact that we finally admitted our feelings for each other here. It just made the already special trip even more special.” Maura sighed. She really didn’t want this moment to end, but they did have a reservation and she hated being late. “We should go to the restaurant,” she said.

“Yeah, we should,” Jane said, taking Maura’s hand in hers as they headed towards the Flying Fish.

Maura was skeptical about the restaurant by the exterior, but once she was inside, she loved the décor. They decided to split the Jumbo Shrimp and the Crispy Oysters for their appetizers. Jane had been planning to order a stake, but Maura ended up convincing her to get the Sardinian Seafood Pasta – apparently, she was impressed by the sustainable seafood. Jane ended up loving it, and she was glad Maura had convinced her to order it. Maura had a hard time deciding between the scallops, salmon, and swordfish, but she ended up going with the swordfish. This also turned out to be a good decision. They decided to forgo dessert in favor of getting ice cream at the shop they had seen earlier on the Boardwalk.

After their ice cream, they took the boat back to Epcot. They were getting tired, so they just walked through the park back to the monorail.

Once they were back at their hotel, they both decided they needed to rinse off. Jane was in and out in less than five minutes, so while Maura showered, Jane went to the Great Ceremonial House to fill their drinks before changing into her pajamas and crawling in bed to wait for Maura.

They agreed to watch Frozen as they had discussed earlier. While the movie played, they also went through their pictures from the day. Once of Maura’s favorites was of them kissing in front of the fake Eiffel Tower. She decided then and there that their next vacation would be to Paris. She wanted a picture of them kissing in front of the _real_ Eiffel Tower. They sent a few pictures to Angela before cuddling together to finish the movie.

“Mmm, I liked that movie,” Maura hummed after the movie finished. She leaned over to give Jane a soft kiss. “I’m going to go brush my teeth. I’m exhausted.”

“Me too,” Jane said, pulling back the covers to go brush her teeth. If she didn’t get up now, she knew she’d fall asleep before brushing her teeth – something she hated, especially when she wanted to kiss Maura in the morning.

When they crawled back in bed, Maura curled up to Jane, and Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, whispering _I love you_ to each other as they quickly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura focused chapter.
> 
> Wow! I really struggled with this chapter. Idk why it was so hard!
> 
> I think in the show Jane said once that she’d been to Paris, but it always seemed more likely to me that she hadn’t been, so I went with that.


	10. Magic Kingdom, Pool Day (Saturday)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in between chapters. Happy New Year!

_Schedule  
_ 8pm Monsieur Paul (Epcot: France)

* * *

“Thank you,” Maura said to the barista as she handed her two fresh cups of coffee. Maura and Jane were back at the Magic Kingdom and had decided to stop at the Starbucks on Mainstreet USA for coffee first. The park was a lot busier today than it had been throughout the week, but this was to be expected on a Saturday.

Maura found Jane waiting outside the coffee shop and handed her her coffee. “What do you want to do first?” Maura asked.

“Thanks,” Jane replied, taking her coffee. “I was thinking maybe we should head to the back of the park. We can start with Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the rest of Frontierland before lunch. Depending on how long the lines are we could also start Adventureland before lunch, too.

“Okay,” Maura said as she started walking towards the back of the park, linking arms with Jane as they walked. When they arrived at Splash Mountain, Maura looked at the ride with skepticism. “Am I going to get wet on this ride?” she asked.

Jane shrugged. “Maybe people in the front get a little splashed, but I don’t see a lot of people walking around soaked. I think we’ll be fine,” she answered. “Besides, it’s a classic; you have to ride it with me.” Jane gave Maura her best pouting face.

Maura rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t say no to that look from Jane. “Fine,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll ride, but let’s get in line before I change my mind.”

They had to wait about 30 minutes in line, but since they were together, they didn’t mind the wait.

They were able to get the second row to themselves in one of the boats.

“This is cute,” Maura whispered to Jane about halfway through the ride. “Is this ride based on a movie, too?”

“Yeah,” Jane said.

“We should watch it.”

“Mmm, I don’t think we should,” Jane replied.

“Why not?” Maura asked, turning to look at Jane in bewilderment. In her confusion, she stopped paying attention and didn’t notice that they were at the drop. Maura shrieked in surprise as they rode down the ‘mountainside.’ When they got to the bottom, their boat hit perfectly, sending up a large splash that perfectly drenched Maura, causing her to shriek again.

Jane buckled over laughing. Even though she was sitting right next to Maura, she was almost entirely dry.

“Jaaannnee,” Maura whined as she pushed her wet hair out of her face.

“I’m sorry,” Jane tried through her laughter. “I really didn’t think we would get that wet on this ride.”

Maura glared at Jane. “ _We_ didn’t get wet. I did!” she snapped, her mood contrasting the happy go-lucky tune of _Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah_ playing in the background.

Maura was still annoyed as they exited the ride, which let out into a store.

“Come on, Maur,” Jane said good-naturedly. “I really am sorry. I’ll buy you a towel and a new shirt.”

Maura sighed. She hated being wet, and her hair was unsalvageable without going back to their hotel room. On the other hand, she couldn’t really blame Jane. She had no control over who got wet on the ride. “Okay,” Maura relented. “But can we also find a bathroom so I can freshen up.”

“Of course,” Jane said.

Maura looked around, quickly finding a towel, but she couldn’t find a shirt that she liked. Luckily, her shorts weren’t very wet, so she didn’t need to find new ones. “Jane, they don’t have anything,” she complained.

“Just pick something you can live with for now,” Jane suggested. “We can always find something better in another shop. Right now, you just need something dry.”

“You pick,” Maura said. She was sure she would regret this decision as soon as the words left her mouth, but they would be here all day if Maura had to decide.

Jane smiled before she started looking around the shop. “Here,” Jane said, presenting Maura with a bright orange tie-dyed tank-top that had a print with the outline of the ride and the words “Making A Splash.”

Maura looked at the shirt, then back at Jane. “Really?” she said.

“You like tank-tops better than t-shirts,” Jane reasoned. “And this will fit well. I know you don’t really like orange, but with your white shorts, it will be cute. I promise.”

“Fine,” Maura huffed, taking the shirt and towel to the register.

When they stepped out of the store, Jane said, “There’s a bathroom over there, and here’s a hair-tie in case you need it.” Jane handed Maura the hair-tie she had in her pocket in case it got hot.”

“Thank you,” Maura said as she headed to the bathroom to change. In the bathroom, she changed her shirt before cleaning up her face. She decided to braid her hair in a French-braid to get it off her face. When she finished, she examined herself in the mirror. While she would never choose to go out like this, she had to admit that she didn’t look terrible. Jane had been right that the top fit her well. If she were being honest with herself, she would say she looked relaxed and like she was on vacation.

She dried out her wet shirt as best she could before folding it carefully and placing it with the towel in the plastic bag from her purchases. Leaving the bathroom, she scanned the crowd for Jane, eventually spotting her near the bridge that overlooked Splash Mountain.

“Better?” Jane asked as Maura walked up to her.

“Yes,” Maura replied.

“I’m really sorry, Maur. I didn’t think either of us would get that wet on the ride.”

Maura smiled. “I know. It’s not your fault. I’m still glad I went on the ride.”

“Here, I’ll carry your bag,” Jane said reaching to take the bag with Maura’s wet items. “I know you probably don’t like it, but I think you look cute,” Jane said honestly.

“Thank you,” Maura replied, rising on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on Jane’s lips. As she pulled away, she added, “Honestly, it’s not as bad as I expected.”

Jane let out a light laugh.

Noticing the other bag in Jane’s hand, Maura asked, “What else did you buy?”

“You’re gonna hate me,” Jane said as she opened the bag.

“What did you buy?” Maura repeated, her voice laced with amused skepticism.

Jane pulled out a box that looked to be about 8 in x 10 in x 1 in. She opened the box and removed a picture frame shaped like the ride with their printed ride photo in the frame.

“Oh my god,” Maura whined. “You did not!”

Jane laughed. “Come on. It’s adorable!”

“I look ridiculous!” Maura exclaimed. The photo had clearly caught Maura mid-scream on the way down the mountain. Her face showed her surprise, and she was holding onto Jane as though her life depended on it.

Jane turned the photo back towards herself to look at it more. “I love it,” she said.

Maura rolled her eyes. “Do not show that to anyone,” she pleaded.

“Fine,” Jane conceded. “But I still think you look cute.” She put it back in the box before adding, “I’ll just keep it for myself.”

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane’s neck and pulled her in for a soft kiss, keeping in mind that they were surrounded by kids and families. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re adorable,” Jane whispered back. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Jane,” Maura said as she let go of Jane. “Should we ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad next?”

“Sure,” Jane replied. They had to wait nearly 45 minutes for the ride. After riding the roller coaster, they explored Tom Sawyer’s Island. They tried to go to the Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in Adventureland for lunch, but without a reservation, they weren’t able to get in, so they back tracked to Frontierland and ate at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café, which turned out to be better than expected. Maura had the Southwest Salad while Jane had the Pork Carnitas Nachos. At Maura’s insistence, they also shared the Veggie Rice Bowl.

They had FastPass reservations for Pirates of the Caribbean just after lunch. Both women enjoyed this ride immensely and Jane found a pirate Mickey Mouse stuffed animal that she purchased for TJ for Christmas. She also bought herself a plastic sword, much to Maura’s displeasure. They ended up skipping a few rides in Adventureland, but they made sure to ride the Jungle Cruise before making their way back to the Haunted Mansion, where they had their next FastPass. Jane absolutely loved the Haunted Mansion ride, quickly declaring it one of her favorites.

Before leaving the park, Maura convinced Jane to ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh again since they were able to get a last minute FastPass. They also decided to ride It’s A Small World again since it was a classic.

After exiting the ride, Jane asked, “Is there anything else you want to do here?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Maura answered, looking at the map.

“Do you want to go back to the hotel and sit by the pool for a while before dinner?”

Maura hesitated. “I suppose,” she answered. “I’m not ready for this to be over yet,” she added. “I know we still have tonight and tomorrow morning, but we won’t be coming back to the Magic Kingdom. I think because the Magic Kingdom is quintessential Disney, leaving here really makes it feel like the vacation is ending.”

Jane laughed sadly. “I don’t want this trip to end either,” she admitted. “Why don’t we wander through some of the shops on our way back to the front of the park? We can also take a few more pictures with the PhotoPass photographers. Then we can head back to the hotel.”

“Okay,” Maura replied, still not sounding convinced. She really didn’t want this vacation to end. She had loved every minute of it, even getting wet, and she had especially enjoyed spending so much one-on-one time with Jane. They had spent nearly every minute together over the past week, and with the exception of the incident at Blizzard Beach, they hadn’t argued or gotten annoyed with each other at all. The incident at Blizzard Beach was also worth it because it ultimately brought them together.

They ended up walking through almost the entire park again, revisiting some of their favorite shops along the way, but eventually, it had to come to an end. While they were on the monorail back to their hotel, Maura remembered their conversation from earlier. “Why did you say we shouldn’t watch the Splash Mountain movie?” she asked Jane.

Jane laughed, having forgotten about the conversation completely. “It’s not called the Splash Mountain movie,” she said. “The ride is themed based on the movie ‘Song of the South,” but the movie is considered to be very racist. I’ve never actually seen it myself.”

“Oh,” Maura said. “Why do they still honor the movie then?”

“I’m not really sure,” Jane replied. “I think they keep the ride because it has become its own thing. Most people don’t even know about the movie, and as far as I know, I don’t think the ride itself has racist elements. It’s always been considered one of the classic Disney rides like It’s A Small World, Space Mountain, and the Dumbo ride, so I’m guessing that’s why they haven’t changed it.”

Before Maura could respond, they had arrived at their hotel. They both changed into their swimsuits and went to sit by the pool.

While Maura got settled in the pool chairs, Jane went to the bar to get them drinks. Once she was situated in her seat, Maura couldn’t keep her eyes off Jane. She couldn’t believe that the sexy woman sauntering back towards her was actually her girlfriend.

“Like what you see,” Jane teased when she got back to Maura.

“Yes,” Maura answered honestly, making Jane blush. “Thank you,” she added as she took her drink from Jane. Once Jane was seated, she continued, “I think this is the first time ever that I haven’t been looking forward to getting back to work.”

“Part of me doesn’t want this week to end – it’s been absolutely amazing – but the other part of me is excited for what comes next,” Jane said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to our every-day lives _together_. I can’t wait to spend my life with you. That includes vacations like this, but it also includes the boring day-to-day stuff. Every day that I’ve gotten to spend with you as my best friend has been better than days without you, so I imagine that actually being with you will be even better.” Jane blushed shyly at her own words. She was never this open with anyone, not even her previous significant others.

Maura had tears in her eyes. “Jane,” she said softly. “That’s…I…thank you,” she ended, feeling somewhat lame. No one had ever said something like that to her before, and it meant more to her than a million ‘I love yous,’ and ‘you’re beautifuls,’ and everything else people had said to her over the years. She couldn’t find the right words to express how she was feeling right now. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, too.”

Jane reached out and gave Maura’s hand a squeeze. They sat hand-in-hand, quietly sipping their drinks and enjoying the comfortable silence. Finishing her drink, Jane said, “Let’s get in the pool.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Maura replied. “You go. I’ll stay here.”

“Come on,” Jane begged. “Please come in with me. You were already covered in dirty ride water today, so the pool water shouldn’t bother you.”

Maura scrunched her nose. She hadn’t thought of that earlier, but now that Jane mentioned it, she wanted to go right upstairs and take a shower. Instead, she decided to embrace the moment and gave into Jane. “Okay,” she conceded, standing up to follow Jane into the pool.

When she lowered herself into the pool, the water was colder than she expected, causing Maura to gasp.

Jane laughed but reached out to Maura to pull her further into the pool. Maura let her feet leave the bottom of the pool so that Jane could drag her deeper. When Jane stopped, instead of returning her feet to the ground, Maura wrapped her legs lightly around Jane’s waist from the front so that they were face-to-face. She was pleased by Jane’s reaction when she heard Jane hitch her breath and felt the goosebumps cover her skin. Jane responded by wrapping her arms around Maura’s back to support her. Maura loved the feeling of Jane’s fingers lazily tracing patterns on her lower back as they floated silently in the pool, gazing into each other’s eyes.

Maura bit her bottom lip when she realized that she was also turning herself on more than she had intended given that they were still in public.

“This is nice,” Jane admitted.

Maura leaned forward to give Jane a light kiss on the lips. “I agree,” she whispered. They stayed like that for a while, just holding on to each other until they started to get cold.

“Maybe we should go get ready for dinner,” Jane suggested.

Maura nodded and reluctantly let go of Jane to exit the pool.

They had dinner reservations at Monsieur Paul at Epcot at 8PM, so they both took showers and changed into nice clothes for the evening. Maura decided on a white flowing knee-length dress, while Jane decided to pair dark blue dress capris with a cream sleeveless top. At the last minute, they both grabbed blazers in case the evening got cool.

They took the monorail to Epcot and walked slowly through the park, enjoying the atmosphere on their way back to the France pavilion. They were seated not long after they arrived at the restaurant. Maura was impressed with the décor. While nothing could top a real French restaurant in Paris, Maura decided that Disney had done a good job of recreating the Parisian atmosphere. The food was superb, but both of their favorite part came at the end of the meal. They were seated by a window. Just as their dessert was served, Epcot’s night show, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth started. While people were blocking the direct view of the lake, they still had a wonderful view of everything taking place above the water. Their waiter even took a few pictures of them with the fireworks in the background.

“I can’t believe that we will be home tomorrow at this time,” Jane said as they returned to their room later that night.

“I know,” Maura replied. “I know it’s late, but can we put another movie on after we get ready for bed. I’d just like to spend a little more time with you tonight.”

“Of course,” Jane said. “What do you want to watch?”

“You can pick,” Maura told her. While Maura changed and got ready for bed, Jane decided she should pack up the rest of her things. They had both started packing while the other was getting ready for dinner, but while Maura had finished, Jane had not. As she was packing, she found the Yeti she had purchased early in their trip. She had planned to trick Maura, but her plan was forgotten with the change in their relationship and everything that had happened since.

She didn’t realize she was still sitting staring at the stuffed animal when Maura returned, ready for bed. “What is that?” Maura asked.

Jane looked up. “Oh, I actually got it for you the first day we were at Animal Kingdom. I was going to play a joke on you,” Jane admitted. “I forgot about it though.” Jane handed Maura the Yeti and added, “You talked so much about the folk stories involving Yetis while insisting they weren’t real, so I was going to try to scare you with it.”

Maura laughed and took the Yeti from Jane. “It’s too cute to be scary,” she said, making Jane laugh. “I love it, and I love you,” Maura added, leaning in to give Jane a kiss. “Did you pick a movie?”

“No, I didn’t get that far,” Jane said. “Why don’t you just pick one while I change?”

“Okay,” Maura said, getting into bed still holding the Yeti, which she placed on the nightstand next to her.

When Jane returned, Maura told her, “I found a Winnie the Pooh movie.”

Jane laughed as she climbed into bed. “You’re really liking Winnie the Pooh; aren’t you?”

Maura shrugged. “It’s cute,” she admitted. “Besides, I like that it’s about friends.”

Jane rested her head on Maura’s chest and Maura wrapped her arms around her girlfriend as the movie started. Jane was asleep within the first five minutes of the movie, but Maura stayed awake a little longer. She liked the movie, but she was mostly thinking about Jane. Jane had been right; now Maura was looking forward to getting back to their normal lives and being able to do all the day-to-day things together. Of course, she would always love going on vacation with Jane, but what she really wanted was a life with Jane. She wanted to spend the good days and the bad days falling asleep and waking up with Jane. She wanted to drive to crime scenes together (okay, maybe they did this most of the time before dating, but now it would be even easier). She loved knowing that this was her future. She no longer had to worry about losing Jane to her hypothetical future family because now Maura was her future family.

Maura felt herself starting to fall asleep, so she turned off the TV and wiggled lower into the bed without releasing her hold on Jane. She gave Jane a soft kiss on the top of her head and whispered, “Good night, Jane. I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maura focused chapter.
> 
> Disney announced this year (2020) that they are going to finally change Splash Mountain. As a kid, Splash Mountain was my favorite ride since I knew nothing about the movie it was based on. They’re going to change it to a Princess and the Frog theme, so I’m looking forward to being able to ride that one day. Although, I do hope they also update the mechanics of the ride itself. Last time I rode, we got stuck on it for over 30 minutes listening to Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah over and over and over again. Even as a huge Disney fan, that got really really annoying. We got walked off the ride though, so we got to see the back-stage area for the ride, which was cool (they also gave us extra fastpasses 😊).
> 
> Also, IllumiNations ended in 2019, but since it was the show that would have been running when Maura and Jane visited Disney, I included it.


	11. Hollywood Studios and Home (Sunday)

_Schedule  
_ 8am Kona Café  
11:45am Woody’s Lunch Box  
7pm Flight from Orlando to Boston

* * *

“Our flight is at 7pm,” Maura called to Jane from the bathroom. “We should be back at the hotel to get our bags by 4pm. That will give us enough time to find a cab or shuttle to the airport.”

“That sounds good,” Jane said as she walked into the bathroom and stepped up behind Maura, wrapping her arms around her waist. Maura leaned back into Jane’s embrace, placing her hands on top of Jane’s resting on her stomach. “I can’t believe we fly home today.”

“I know. When we were planning this, I thought ten days sounded like a long time – in a good way of course – but the trip flew by.”

Jane nodded and placed a soft kiss on Maura’s cheek. “I finished packing and called the bellhop,” she told Maura. “Are you almost ready?”

“Yes, let me just put my bathroom bag in my suitcase,” Maura replied, reluctantly extracting herself from Jane’s embrace.

Once the bellhop had tagged and taken their luggage, Maura and Jane headed to the Great Ceremonial House to check out and have breakfast. When they got to the front of the check-out line, Maura stood off to the side to allow Jane to pay the bill. She wanted to respect that Jane wanted to handle this part, but she couldn’t help but be nervous about how much they had spent. She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked around the lobby area in an attempt to distract herself.

Maura watched a family with three young kids walk into the lobby through the front doors. She could tell by the kids’ reactions that they were most likely just arriving for their trip, maybe even the kids first trip to Disney. She couldn’t wait to bring her own kids here one day with Jane. She pictured the little blonde boy and dark curly-haired girl from her dream, imaging the looks of awe and excitement on their faces.

She was so lost in her daydream that she jumped when Jane appeared by her side. “What are you staring at?” Jane asked.

Maura smiled at her. “I was watching that family arrive,” Maura answered honestly, “and I was picturing bringing our own children here one day.”

“I’d like that,” Jane said. “Shall we get breakfast before we head to the park?”

Maura nodded and they walked towards the stairs that led to the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House. They wanted to try Kona Café, which was the last restaurant or snack location in the hotel that they hadn’t eaten at yet, with the exception of the Luau. Of the hotel restaurants and eateries, Maura’s favorite thus far had been ‘Ohana and Jane had preferred Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Terrace.

Jane loved the Tonga Toast, which consisted of banana-stuffed French Toast in cinnamon sugar, while Maura enjoyed steel-cut oatmeal and fruit.

After breakfast, they waited for the bus to take them to Hollywood Studios. Maura took Jane’s hand in hers and leaned into Jane slightly, pressing their shoulders together. Jane released Maura’s hand and wrapped her arm around Maura’s shoulder, pulling her even closer.

“Can we do Star Wars World first?” Jane asked.

Maura giggled at Jane’s childlike enthusiasm. “Yes, we can,” she said. “Do we have any FastPasses for today?”

“Yes, we have one for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at 10am, Toy Story Mania at noon, and Star Tours at 2pm. I was thinking we could head straight to Rise of the Resistance when we get there. By the time we’re done with that, we should be able to ride Smugglers Run. Then, we can do the rest of Galaxy’s Edge and then Toy Story Land, which includes Toy Story Mania.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Maura told her.

A little under an hour and a half later, Maura was glaring at Jane. “Two in a row!” she said. “You convinced me to do two intense attractions in a row!”

Jane tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand. Maura was clearly very annoyed at her, but she was having a hard time actually feeling bad about it. “Oh, come on, Maur. Those rides were so cool!” she tried. In fact, they had easily taken over as Jane’s two favorite rides in the park.

Maura huffed in annoyance with her arms crossed across her chest, “I don’t like motion simulators.” To be honest, she was more embarrassed than annoyed, but she didn’t want Jane to know that. She had to admit that what she had seen of the rides was very good, but since she had spent most of them clinging to Jane with her eyes squeezed shut, something that multiple people around them had noticed, she refused to admit that any part of either ride was good.

“Okay, look, I’m sorry,” Jane said, opening her arms to offer Maura a hug. Maura hesitated for a second before stepping into Jane’s embrace, wrapping her own arms around Jane. “I really thought you would like the rides. I had read ahead of time that they were considered some of the best. I wasn’t trying to trick you.”

“I know,” Maura finally admitted.

“And you’ve done fine on roller coasters, so I didn’t think the motion simulators would be any different.”

“I suppose that is a reasonable assumption,” Maura conceded.

Jane gave Maura a soft kiss before releasing her. “Can I make it up to you with some shopping?” she asked.

Maura laughed lightly. “I suppose so,” she said with a smile.

“Okay, come on then,” Jane said, linking her arm with Maura’s and pulling her into the nearest store. Maura wasn’t very interested in either of the Star Wars themed shops and they decided to skip the build your own lightsaber and build your own droid stores since they both had long lines. In Toy Story Land, Maura found The Toy Story Store a lot more fun, even if it was geared towards kids. She couldn’t help herself and purchased a few more items for TJ’s Christmas gift – the kid was going to be spoiled this year.

They decided to have lunch at Woody’s Lunch Box before their using their FastPass to ride Toy Story Mania. They both rode Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog Dash, but Maura steadfastly refused to ride the Alien Swirling Saucers. Jane tried only halfheartedly to convince her, and while Maura said it was okay if Jane wanted to ride them alone, she decided to skip the ride, too, not wanting to ride it alone.

“Oh, can we do The Edna Mode Experience?” Maura asked excitedly after they finished Toy Story Land.

“Sure, but what is it?” Jane asked.

“View some of the famous designer’s greatest creations,” Maura read off the map description.

Jane groaned but agreed. It definitely sounded like Maura’s kind of thing and Maura, even with her complaints, had mostly been a good sport about doing everything in Star Wars World this morning.

They had to wait in a short line before entering the attraction. When they saw what it was, Jane burst out laughing.

“This is not what I expected,” Maura said. Jane thought the disappointed pout on Maura’s face might be the most adorable thing ever. She turned to look at Jane. “Did you know that it was plastic animated superhero outfits?”

“No,” Jane said through her laughter. “I didn’t, but I suppose had I thought about it I might have figured it out. Now that we’re here, I am remembering that Edna Mode is a character in the Incredibles. I honestly did not know, though. Also, please don’t call superhero costumes outfits.”

Maura tried to keep the pout on her face, but the ridiculousness of the situation was quite funny. Finally, the smile that had been tugging at the corners of her mouth won out and she started laughing with Jane as they made their way out of the “museum.”

They spent some time just walking around the park, seeing if they had missed anything in Animation Courtyard and exploring Commissary Lane and Grand Avenue. They didn’t ride any of the attractions in those areas, but they did enjoy the atmosphere, stopping for a few PhotoPass photos along the way.

They made their way to Echo Lake in time for their 2pm FastPass for Star Tours. When Maura realized it was another motion simulator, she decided not to ride, but she successfully convinced Jane to ride it without her. While she waited for Jane, Maura spent some time flipping through her pictures from the week. Between the two of them, they had taken hundreds of pictures. Maura decided she’d make a photobook of their trip for Jane for Christmas. She also wanted to get a few of her favorite pictures of the two of them framed for her house and office. In what seemed like no time at all, Jane was done with the ride.

“How was it?” Maura asked.

Jane shrugged. “It was fine. I probably would have liked it better if I rode it before the other Star Wars rides,” she said.

“We don’t have much time left before we have to leave for the hotel,” Maura said. “What would you like to do before we leave?”

“Why don’t we just go to some of the shops? The last thing I want is to get you all stressed out because we get stuck in an attraction and don’t get back in time,” Jane said. “And I don’t think there’s anything major left that I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss.”

Maura smiled and stood up, taking Jane’s hand in her own. They spent the rest of their time in the park shopping along Hollywood Boulevard, each of them making a few additional small purchases (that Jane wasn’t sure how they would get home). They were both quiet on the bus ride back to their hotel, a little sadness permeating their joy from the vacation as they realized that it really was over.

They made good time returning to the hotel, picking up their bags, and getting to the airport. They had checked in for their flight and checked their bags by 5:30pm, so they decided to get dinner in the airport before their flight home.

After ordering, Maura returned to one of their conversations from earlier in the week. “I was thinking a little more about our next trip,” she told Jane. “I know it’s early to plan, and we won’t be able to go anywhere any time soon, but I think our next big trip should be to Paris. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Jane said.

“When we were in Epcot, I decided I wanted to kiss you in front of the real Eiffel Tower,” Maura said with a smile.

Jane felt warmth spread through her body at Maura’s comments. For some reason, their relationship felt more real at that moment than it had so far. Maybe it was because they had been living in a bubble. Now they were about to head back to their real lives, and Maura was talking about the future.

“I would like to kiss you in front of the Eiffel Tower and on top of the Eiffel Tower,” Jane said with a smirk of her own.

Maura laughed openly.

“I think we should take a long-weekend trip to Cape Cod in the spring or summer, though,” Jane added.

“That would be nice,” Maura agreed.

They continued talking about their future as they finished their dinner and boarded their flight. The exhaustion from the week finally started to take over and both Maura and Jane fell asleep on the flight back to Boston. As they got off the plane, Maura was able to push her exhaustion aside, but Jane was dragging, causing Maura to laugh at her.

Once they had their bags, they exited the airport to find Angela standing next to her car waving frantically at them. Maura and Jane exchanged a glance and a smile before heading toward the hurricane known as Angela Rizzoli.

“Hi, Ma!” Jane greeted her mother, setting down the bags she was carrying so that she could give her mom a hug.

“Hi, sweetie,” Angela squealed into Jane’s hair as she returned the hug.

Jane quickly loaded the bags in the car while Maura and Angela greeted each other. Jane climbed in the backseat (with the bags that didn’t fit in the trunk), allowing Maura and Angela to sit in front. She listened silently as Maura started telling Angela all about their trip.

“Jane, do you want me to drop you off at your apartment first?” Angela asked.

“We can just go home,” Maura answered for her, making Jane smile from the backseat because Maura was right, home is wherever they’re together. “A lot of our things are mixed together in various bags,” Maura continued. “So, I think it makes sense if Jane stays at my place tonight. Then, we can figure out where everything goes after work tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Angela answered without questioning it. To be honest, if she had thought about it, she would have expected Jane to stay at Maura’s tonight – and probably every night for the foreseeable future. “I know I said it on the phone, but I’m really happy for you girls,” Angela told them. “You make a perfect couple.”

“Thank you,” Maura replied, somewhat self-consciously.

“Thanks, Ma,” Jane called from the backseat.

A few hours later, Maura and Jane crawled into Maura’s bed, tired but happy.

“I love you, Maur,” Jane whispered as she pulled Maura into her arms.

“I love you, too,” Maura returned, settling into her favorite position snuggled up to Jane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, I took some liberties with the timeline when considering when this story takes place, when the Galaxy’s Edge rides (and a few other rides) opened, and COVID closures.
> 
> Also, I know this chapter was a bit less exciting, but I wanted them to have a very normal last day of their vacation. I hope it wasn’t disappointing and that you all enjoyed it! I’m posting the epilogue tonight as well.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted chapters 11 and 12 together, so make sure you don’t miss chapter 11 (especially if you’re like me and just click to the last chapter).

**10 years later**

“Jackson, stop running,” Jane yelled after the seven year old. He immediately stopped running causing his five year old sister to run into the back of him, fall over, and start to cry. Jane rolled her eyes, knowing the girl wasn’t hurt.

Maura laughed. “Here, take Sam,” she said as she handed her pregnant wife their two year old daughter. “I’ll get Mia.”

Maura picked up Mia and Jackson followed his mom and sister back to Jane. As they stood together in the check-in line, Jane watched Jackson and Mia’s faces glowing with excitement as they looked around the hotel lobby. They reminded her of Maura the first time they had come to Disney ten years ago.

Maura and Jane had married about a year and a half after their trip. Jackson had come along a little over a year later. They had used Jane’s egg, but Maura had given birth to him. The seven-year was a miniature version of his Mama with dark brown curls and chocolate eyes. Mia had followed two years later. She looked exactly like Maura, but her personality was all Jane. For Mia, they had used artificial insemination instead of in vitro fertilization, so she was biologically related to Maura and Maura also gave birth to her. Sam was more of a mix of her two mothers in looks, but once again her personality took after Jane. Jane had given birth to her using Maura’s egg. Maura often marveled at how all three of her children’s personalities mirrored her wife’s. She also wondered how she stayed sane with so many mini-Jane’s in the house, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She wondered if their fourth child, a boy to be named Ben, would take after her. She doubted it though since he would be biologically related to Jane and Jane was carrying him. They had originally planned on only having three kids, but about a year after Sam was born, they realized their family was still missing someone. They decided it made sense to complete the set of possible combinations of which of their eggs they used and who carried the baby. However, they had already promised their older kids a trip to Disney as soon as Sam was two years old. Despite not loving the idea of spending a week on her feet walking around Disney World while six months pregnant, Jane refused to break their promise.

When they got to the front of the line, Jane tried to corral the kids as Maura checked in.

“Hi and welcome to the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. My name is Bill. Can I have the name on your reservation?”

“Rizzoli-Isles,” Maura responded easily.

“It looks like you have two adults and three children,” Bill confirmed. “And you received your Magic Bands in the mail?”

“Yes!” Jackson answered excitedly, holding up his wrist to show Bill the blue Magic Band that he had been wearing for two weeks straight. No matter how many times his moms tried to convince him to allow them to hold onto it until the trip, he steadfastly refused. In the end, Maura and Jane gave into his excitement allowing him to wear it. They had fully expected him to lose it and had secretly purchased an extra band just in case. Jackson, however, had taken his responsibility not to lose the Magic Band very seriously, always making sure to take good care of it. Maura still had the extra Magic Band tucked away in her bag, just in case one of the kids lost theirs while they were here.

Looking at the little boy peering over the counter, Bill address Jackson, “What are you most excited to do here at Walt Disney World?”

“I can’t wait to go to Star Wars World!” he nearly yelled. “Mama promised we could go their first tomorrow.

“Star Wars Land is very cool. I think you’ll love it.” Turning to Mia he said, “And what about you little miss? What are you most excited about?”

“Me and Sam…” Mia started.

“Sam and I,” Maura whispered to her daughter.

Mia started again, “Sam and I are excited to meet Anna and Elsa. And, and, and…” Mia was so excited she could barely get the words out, “…and I can’t wait to ride all the big kid rides. I’m not scared at all!”

Bill laughed, “Well you’re a brave little girl.”

“Just like my mama,” Mia said pointing to Jane.

“Yes, just like your mama,” Maura said quietly so only Mia and Jane could hear as she ran her hand through Mia’s blonde hair with a smile. She couldn’t believe they were actually here. She remembered standing in nearly the same spot ten years ago as Jane checked out from their first Disney vacation watching another family start their vacation and thinking about doing this with her own kids. The family she had pictured in her head at that time was beautiful, but it didn’t hold a candle to the real thing. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was pretty sure she was just as excited as her kids were for this trip; she was also pretty sure that Jane was well aware of that fact.

Maura had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t realized Jane had finished the remainder of the check-in process. They allowed the kids to run ahead a bit as they walked to their room, Jane calling out directions every now and then when they needed to turn.

Maura wove her fingers through Jane’s, holding her hand as she watched their kids run around full of childlike innocence and joy.

“I love you,” Jane whispered into Maura’s ear as they walked.

“I love you, too,” Maura replied as she turned her face to look at Jane, and they exchanged smiles before returning their attention to their children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eventually, I want to do more in this series (a vacation series), but it won’t be right away. I have a couple of ideas though and would love to know what you guys would like to read. Options include their trip to Paris (and a proposal), a destination wedding (maybe a Disney wedding?) and/or honeymoon, their Disney trip with their kids started in the epilogue, or a cruise (maybe for their 50th birthdays so the kids could be in it too). I’m open to other suggestions, as well.


End file.
